A spider and the Angel
by DominoDS
Summary: Takes place after the movie.Mary Jane tries to move on after telling Peter she loved him& when he couldn't say it back.Many odd circumstances bring them together both as Spider-man&Peter. A new villian rises to destroy Spider-man in revenge[COMPLETED!} 14
1. Default Chapter

                        *Hi ok, this is my very first movie Spider-man fanfic, since they don't have a category up in movies. Anyhoo this fic is dedicated to Kylara and all the other Mary Jane/Peter Parker fans out there. I love the couple so I'm writing this fic. Ok that was dumb I apologize. Anyways I do not in any way own Marvel Comics, any of the characters of the movie or comic Spider-man. I'm just a fan. J  So no murdering if this isn't to your liking. And remember this is to the movie not the comic. I don't like what they did story wise with Mary Jane and Peter. L Oh and warning about my writing, I only have enough time to basically write them on pad and type it, classes bug me down while I try dedicating fics or writing them for some people. **

                                                          A spider and the Angel 

            M.J. sat in the back of the room of her acting class.  Sadly, she took things to heart so when she was told over a month ago that she needed acting classes she decided to go to one more audition before enrolling.  Instead of paying attention to class she sat there wondering about what Peter had meant by what he had said at the cemetery.

"_I…can't. tell  you everything… I want you to know that I will always be there for you. I promise you that.  I wish I could give you more than that, but you must know.. that you will always be safe."-_

            What had he meant by that?  And he said that she was a friend to him after she told him how much she loved him. She could see it in his eyes how much he loved her.  Did he lie to her or did his eyes lie?  It hurt so much to be rejected by the one you love.

            "Miss Watson?" a stern voice interrupted her thoughts.  She glanced up to see everyone looking at her oddly, including the instructor.

"Yes?" she answered in a song-song like voice as her thoughts of Peter melted away.

            "Did you prepare for your scripted performance for the class this evening?" He asked with an irritated look on his pale face. 

            "Yes sir, I have it ready in my backpack," she replied as she dug into her backpack pulling out a packet.  She groaned realizing that it was only a packet of auditions she had photocopied from the newspaper ads.  "Sir, will you be here till 9 tonight?" She asked hoping she could run by her apartment and grab the real homework being back in time to present.

He pointed to the door, pushing his thin framed glasses up on his nose.

            "Run Miss Watson," he said plainly.  She smiled in gratitude as she jolted out the door. It was 7:30 so she could have enough time to make it there and to take the subway back.

            All through the time of riding home she thought about how she kept herself away from Peter lately.  They talked occasionally or once and awhile on the phone but she kept herself busy so she wouldn't see him in person.  She felt horrible but she would feel embarrassed about how she came off with her feelings.

            The subway screeched to a halt and she headed out towards her apartment only two blocks away.  As she walked down the street the wind tussled her long red locks about her as she hugged her coat close.  Almost all the damage had been repaired from the mysterious green goblin when he crashed into her apartment to abduct her.

After the hostage experience both he and Spider-man dueled off in a hidden place, yet only Spider-man surfaced again.

She reached her apartment taking the elevator up to the top floor unlocking the door.

Luckily she got the balcony view that she shared with a new roommate since she couldn't afford it on her own.

She found her packet on top of the TV. , and headed out the door again.  If she had been looking any closer she would have seen the quiet figure crouching outside the balcony doors in a protective watch.

            Mary Jane jogged back out onto the side of the streets under the litted lamps of the night waiting for the subway… that just passed her by?

            "Hey!" she shouted as it went by in a flash.

"That's just great, do I need super powers to get back to my class?" she asked herself out loud.  Just as she began to wait for the next train a man knocked into her hard yanking her backpack off her shoulder and breaking into a run.  M.J. looked after him as she chased in impulse knowing that this was a very dumb maneuver for her to pull.  Easily she was catching up to him by the time he hopped a gate.  She leapt at him catching his ankle as she fell hard onto the concrete, in turn tripping him.  Pain exploded along her knees, the frozen concrete almost killing her nerves.  She could hear her mind screaming at her: "You idiot! Run away before he kills you!"  However M.J. ignored all her instincts and she reached for her bag.

            The thug lashed out his hidden razorblade slashing her hand.  Whimpering she drew back her hand, crawling backwards in sudden fear.

With a growl he shoved her onto her back resting the blade against her throat in anger, as he got ready to cut her.  Tightly she shut her eyes ready to feel the pain of the knife, yet all there was, was a 'whoosh' and the thug grunting with a thud.  Opening her eyes she saw the man frantically grasping at his eyes trying to remove the sticking webbing that had been shot at him.  Mary Jane's heart leapt for joy as she realized whom it was.  She turned around with a heartwarming smile.  Spiderman.  

            "Somebody call for their friendly neighborhood Spider-man?" He asked.  She could tell that from under the mask he was smiling.

The thug finally removed the last of the webbing from his eyes as he glared at the one who shot the bloody crap into his eyes.

            "You Spider-punk, I'm gonna fix you!" he yelled.  M.J. quickly ran out of the way holding tightly onto her hand to stop the bleeding.

"Aw, someone's playful." Spider-man laughed as he flipped forward landing in a crouch looking up at the man.

            "Die bug-boy!" he lunged at Spider-man swinging the blade at him.  Easily, as if showing off, spider-man evaded each attack, first with a back flip, cartwheel then a summersault vaulting his legs up into the gut of the thief's gut knocking him to the ground.  Spidey leapt to his feet as the man tried running away.  "You were expecting Tom Cruise?" He asked amused as the man tried running away.  Mary Jane giggled as she watched Spider-man create a lasso out of his webbing calling out.  "Yee-haw, don't run off now part-nah!"  As he threw it at the runaway, wrapping him up in it like a cocoon. He hung him upside down from one of the lampposts.  He yelled curses at spider-man before he was gagged with more webbing.

            Smiling in awe M.J. reached down to grab her bag slinging it over her shoulder.  He looked down at her hand, taking it in his own-gloved hand.

            "You ok?" he asked holding her injured hand tenderly.  She nodded.  Staring at her for a moment Mary Jane blushed, he reached over to her hair gently taking her cloth headband removing it ever so gently and unfolding it back to a bandana.  He wrapped it around her hand firmly yet gently all at once.  She blushed again at his tenderness as he stroke her fingers.

            "Need a lift?" he asked as he looked to where the train had once been.

She smiled once again taking his free hand with her uninjured one. 

"Only if you keep me safe." She said.

            "Always," he whispered.

*Ok that's the first chapter, sorry if it sucked but the next chapter will be in Spider-man's/Peter's point of view. Please review

and tell me if you liked it. J


	2. Honesty

*Here's chapter two, a lot of Peter-Spidey/M.J. fluff here so..yeah..anyways I want to thank

everyone that reviewed my fic, thank you very much I love the reviews. I got a whole lot more than I thought I would. Anyways I don't own Marvel comics, sony and the company of Spider-man I own no characters at all. ** P.S. *Eek I just ran over this real quick with another spell checker and realized how screwed up I made it while I typed so fast. Aargh -_- stupid paragraphs and I had cemetary as Commetary because of the spell checking. Oiye boiye please forgive my ignorance on the fic, I've only enough time to type it and post it, please please please don't hate me** 

Chapter 2. 

With M.J. in his arms, Spider-man swinging through the city like Tarzan with his Jane.She seemed comfortable in his arms, and even through the suit he could feel her warm breath against his neck, which caused his heart to beat faster. 

He hadn't seen her in a month, so he just made it an excuse to come by as Spidey to see her.He was lucky he found her before it was too late.If he could have it his way he would have snapped the man's neck for even harming her. 

Whenever he had called her. called her, he could hear the sadness in her voice; she would also talk less to him.It was the same with Harry; she wasn't willing to tell what was bothering her really. 

Holding her now was like a dream.He stopped on a rooftop glancing at a large gap where he'd have to definitely be flexible to move. 

"Hold on tightly, I'm going to have to leap off the side of that building and swing across the way."She nodded moving herself behind him so he could have his arms and legs free for both sides.Feeling uneasy for her, he tied some webbing around her waist connecting it to him; if he would land on the wall hard enough to fall the webbing would hold her.She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist as he swung off letting go as he landed sideways on the building across.Mary Jane kept her hold tightly on him as he landed.She whimpered slightly as she was dangling from his hold but he made sure that she wasn't dangling long as he leapt off again shooting another series of webbing pulling them away at high velocity. 

She whooped with excitement, the window blowing through her hair as he flipped them over a traffic light, swinging her from behind his back into his arms.He grinned hearing people exclaiming: "The hell?!" 

"Spider-man?!" 

He was glad M.J. was enjoying herself.It got lonesome web slinging alone sometimes.She pointed down at the old library. 

"There, that's where I need to get." 

He lowered his wrist shooting out more white webbing and swung them down to the sidewalk setting her down gently.She ran up to the steps of the doors trying to open them with an unsuccessful yank. "Damn!" She yelled when they wouldn't budge.It wasn't even nine 'o clock yet and he had already locked the doors.M.J. sighed."Well it looks like I'm not going to pass." She grumbled. "Want me to have a talk with him?"He asked amused.She could just imagine him jumping on the windowsill a couple stories up having a "talk" with the professor.She grinned at the thought. 

"That's ok," she laughed. She stood out by the curb waiting for a cab, wrapping her dark green coat around herself. "Want me to websling you home?" he asked stepping closer to her. 

"That's ok, I'm gonna catcha a cab." She said with a smile. 

He pouted a little from under the mask, he wanted to actually take his time with her giving her a real view of the city.To see the marvelous beauty at night that most do not see from such height.Not as beautiful as his Mary Jane though. His Mary Jane?'There you go again, Parker' he thought to himself.'You don't deserve her,' he thought glumly. 

"You sure? I'll give you a tour of the city, rooftop view." He reasoned. 

Seeing that a cab wouldn't show up anytime soon she finally accepted, taking his strong hand again and was whisked off into the night by the masked hero. Peter Parker felt as if he was on a high as he returned to his apartment by window.He nearly took M.J. around the whole city, listening to the impressed little noises she made as they went by some amazing landmarks.He took her back to the rooftop garden- the place he remembered leaving her when he saved her from the balcony fall during the Oscorp parade.She remembered and the two of them talked, mainly M.J. so if she listened closely she couldn't be able to detect that Spider-man was really Peter Parker (by voice), since he didn't talk too much.Late he returned her back to her apartment on the balcony.He wished she would up his mask to kiss him but he didn't want to push his luck.She gave a fond smile before leaving inside that left him giddy, webslinging all the way back to his place. Removing his mask he stood in front of the mirror.He studied himself noticing a light cut along his left check of his face.He contemplated over whether he should tell Mary Jane about his secret.Closing his eyes, he sighed knowing that he didn't want to keep this a secret too much longer.He didn't have someone to confide in and this was eating a hole in him.After college tomorrow he would stop by M.J.'s café where she worked and have a cup of coffee with her.He nodded to himself as he undressed changing into sweats and a T-shirt hiding his spider-man clothes.Climbing under the covers of his bed he yawned deciding that he wanted to tell Mary Jane his secret. Tomorrow will be a better day. 

***** 

Mary Jane poured the last cup of coffee for her ending shift before her break would start that day.Her feet were sore from walking around in her hideous lime colored heels and balancing orders all day.She went into the back unbuttoning her apron and leaned against the wall.She was exhausted having had a lot of trouble getting to sleep that night before when Spider-man had taken her home.Especially when her roommate thought a prowler was sneaking in and tried to clobber her with a bat. 

"Miss Hollywood!" Enrique, her boss' voice yelled. "Get back here for an order!" He roared. 

"I'm on my break Enrique!" she yelled glaring form the back. 

"A customer is asking especially for you." He yelled back passing by her.Grunting she pulled her apron back on and walked to the counter.She nearly fell in shock when she saw Peter sitting at the front counter with his hands folded neatly in front of him. 

"Hi M.J." He said calmly with a boyish smile. 

"Hiya, Pete.What are you doing here?" 

"Requesting a cup of coffee from the famous waitress and asking her to join me," he said.M.J. grinned as she gout out the coffee pot filling up a cup for him. 

"How much time before your next shift?" he asked. 

Glancing back at Enrique who was glaring at her from the back she stated that she was done for the day. "Ok, how about we have some coffee here and I'll talk you out for the burger I promised." He grinned hopefully.She shrugged slightly, leaving her apron at the counter as they went to the back booth to sit. "How's college?" She asked him not touching her coffee. Peter studied her quietly, her lovely red hair wall pulled back tightly while wisps of hair framed her face like an angel.Her usually lively green eyes were tired and dimmed like she hadn't gotten much sleep.Peter bravely reached over and pushed a couple strands behind her ear lifting her chin up to let her look him in the eyes. 

"It's going good.Other than Doc. Conner having kicked me out of class over a month ago, but somehow… I'm surviving," he said with a little more emphasis at the end."Look, I'm sorry about what went on at the cemetery the last time we saw each other." he said with his blue eyes gentle as he took her hands in his."If I sounded uncaring, I'm sorry with my whole heart."He swallowed looking very nervous.Mary Jane only blinked. 

"Hmm.. What happened at the cemetery?" she asked not remembering.But the truth was of course that she did remember exactly what happened at the cemetery, and seeing the look of pain on Peter's face was enough to almost make her cry.She regretted instantly that she said that.Stupid Debra, her roommate always gave her bad advice. 

Peter let go of her hands. "Oh…" was all that he was able to manage. 

"Pete, I'm sorry I didn't mean to say that.I remember of course. I'm just embarrassed about it.It's not everyday that you tell someone that you love them and they don't feel the same way in return."She adverted her eyes.Not knowing what to say Peter swallowed.What could you say to the woman you've loved since you were six years old?He wanted to keep her from getting too close so she wouldn't end up getting hurt.'Marry me', he whimpered in his mind. 

"You deserve someone that can give you everything you always wanted, M.J." 

"Pfft, I don't deserve someone who can give me everything I wanted, and even if I did who could do that?" She looked squarely at him in the eyes. 

"Harry, I mean he's inherited Oscorp now and practically owns almost everything now.The only thing he doesn't have is you."He could feel his heart break as he said this.Mary Jane would be treated like a Queen if she were back with Harry again. 

"He can't give me everything.Besides I'll be fine.It's a big world out there, Tiger.I'll find someone eventually." 

He could feel apart of him die as he heard her say "find someone eventually", not him.He blew it too many times.Why couldn't he just keep his damn mouth shut?! "You know I was watching TV. Last night and I stopped on Jerry Springer," she immediately laughed as Peter got a certain look of astonishment on his face."Remind you nothing was on. Anyways this girl was saying how much she hated her life and how her mother forced her to turn to prostitution.Over and over she would shout that she hated her mother.Her mother begged and cried saying she loved her daughter but she would just push her off and say that she had no mother.It really made me cry, I couldn't ever bear to have a family like that.. . again.So…I dreamed up a "dream family."She smiled feeling foolish.Peter grinned leaning forward to listen.Mary Jane laughed."You don't want to hear it!" She said.Peter shook his head yes. 

"Nothing you say is foolish, M.J.Tell me about it, please."He leaned his chin in his hand wondering what possible heaven Mary Jane had dreamed up in her mind. 

  
***************************************************** Ok sorry if there wasn't much to that but fluff.More is to come definitely and I was wondering…ok Um.. 

Well I have a villain plot for a another story..but I was thinking of incorporating it with this story so it'd be this grand thing, but the story would be many chapters if I combined it with this one. The villain will be a memorable villain a regular from the cartoon/comic but I would be writing him for movie purpose of my fic. Should I? Let me know please. 

Twinkies! 


	3. Hearts Afflictions

-Author- "Thanks for the reviews ^_^ it's the most I've

ever had for the first two chapters of a story so I really

Appreciate everyone's comments. Ok what is a beta reader and how

do you get one? (Sorry for being naïve there I honestly don't know)

Anyways here is the next chapter which I had a little trouble with remembering

Exactly what I had wanted to say. I as well didn't like how they

Ended Spider-man but I understood why they did so that

Peter could keep her safe. I was very sad though, I've always wanted

Peter and M.J. to be together.  Anyways As always with the

Disclaimer:

"I do not in any way own Marvel Comics anything relating to Spider-man

which includes the movies or characters. I just own the fic. 

Her face blushed almost as read as her hair as he asked her.  

"Well.. bits and pieces of it were something I had always wanted but it seemed to finally all come together as a whole in my mind..  A family always full of love, I think after a lifetime of living with my parent's yelling would be an immediate factor out.  I think that I'd be living out of the city, you know living in the perfect neighborhood with the white picket fence out in the front and neighboring children playing safely down the street.  I'm inside the house making dinner and the kids come home from school.  I have a boy and a girl that are in grade school, and the oldest child is carrying in their little brother just having got home from pre-school," she sucked in a deep breath choking down a sob as she could imagine this far-away family.

            "They'd all say "hi Mom!" with the hugs and kisses, smiles brightening up their beautiful faces and then run into the living room to watch cartoons.  Then after hearing their angelic laughter the door opens everything seems to stop as he walks in using the clichéd saying "Hi, honey I'm home," but to my hears it sounds like music.  Every time I hear his voice my heart skips a beat.  I know my life isn't complete without him," a single tear fell down her face as she spoke, she seemed to be enveloped within her dream, as she told not wanting to let go.

            "It would be perfect.  In our own ways we'd love and worship each other.  We'd go into the living room and all four of us would snuggle onto the soft white carpet as we'd watching something on the TV. like some scene off of 'Leave it to Beaver'.  We'd tuck them in at night reading them a story together before they'd shut their tiny eyes.  And every night before he and I would go to sleep we'd profess our heartfelt love to one another with the perfect kiss.

            Saturday mornings would be the best, we could sleep in and let the soft sounds of the Saturday morning shows and the children's giggles wake us up.  He'd wrap his arms around my waist pulling me near as he'd nuzzle my neck saying 'let's not get up, lets lay here together in each other's arms' beneath the soft glow streaming under the window.

It wouldn't be too longer until we heard the soft little patter of feet up the stairs to our room, and 3 little heads poking inside the room to only jump on the bed dog piling asking when we'd get up to make breakfast." she laughed wiping away the tears.  Raising her beautiful eyes to look into his sea blues she smiled.

"What's when I wake up Peter."

            Peter smiled watching her, the way she described it put a mental picture in his mind.  Yet he could see himself as her husband, the father of the three cherub faced children, sitting in bed reading the titles of the newspaper.  No mention of murders, theft or arson.  Just pleasant titles.  Being the one who shared the perfect kisses with M.J., his wife.

A soft sigh escaped him.  But who did she see in the dream as her husband?  Him?  He would have waited all his life to know that answer; if it were he, he would climb the highest skyscraper to only scream out that he loved her to know.  Or was it someone else?  She could have very well moved on from Peter.

            "M.J., who do you see as your husband?" he asked staring into her eyes entranced.  His mind told him to stop but his heart told him to continue on.

            "He…he is." She began.  A sudden buzz in his mind caused him to sit straight up immediately.  His spider-sense.  Police sirens screamed by as a group of people gathered outside. 'No.. Not now!' he mentally yelled, but something was indeed wrong.  He got to his feet dropping a few dollars on the counter.

"Sorry M.J. but I have to go," he said.

            "Yeah of course duty calls." She murmured carelessly.  He froze looking at her.  'Did she know?  How could she know?' he thought.  'Gee Parker, it wouldn't be a surprise if she did know since you always let your guard down around her!' he mentally kicked himself.

"What do you mean?"

            "Have to catch Spider-man in action so you can sell the photos to the Bugle, right?" she asked looking confused.

"Uhh…right." It wouldn't be a lie. "See you M.J." he rushed out of the café, his identity still in tact.

            "Story of my life, in the end I never get the guy." She grumbled drinking her cold coffee.

*                                                                                  *                                                          *

            Peter snapped shots of the broken glass of one of the windows from the science lab.  A police officer stretched yellow taper reading "Caution" across the room as they questioned the professions about what was stolen.  Doc. Connors narrowed his eyes at his student teachers. "How could you not know what was stolen?!  You were supposed to be here!" he yelled leaning on a crutch.

Peter used this time to explore unnoticed.

            "My hologram emitter is missing as well as the smoke cubes for the drama department." Connors grumbled.

                                    '_Who would steal a hologram emitter and smoke cubes?  Why would the purpose for them be?'_ he thought to himself.  There wasn't any evidence from what he could find so far.  Maybe something would happen that would lead him to the thief.  Slipping out before the cops noticed, Peter decided that he'd go visit his Aunt to go check up on her for the heck of it.  He was due to be over there to have their weekly dinner together.

*                                                                                  *                                                                      *

            "Congratulations Miss Watson, you have the part of Katarina in "The Shrew" debuting at Coney Island." The woman spoke proudly.  Mary Jane squealed with happiness.

            "Thank you so much!" she exclaimed before hanging up the phone.  She twirled herself once with joy before shouting down the hall to Debra about her success.

She, Mary Jane Watson, was going to have a lead in Shakespeare's comedy "The Shrew".  She couldn't wait.  Al the work and grief finally paid off.  She had to tell Peter.  Dialing up his numbered she was slightly disappointed when Harry answered.

"Harry! It's M.J.!" she heard him expel a soft sigh of… sadness?  Annoyance?  "Are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm getting a little better since my father's death… What's up M.J.?" he asked changing the subject.

            "Guess what?  I get to be Katarina in "The Shrew"! Can you believe it?!"

"Hey that's great M.J.!  We knew you could do it.  When is your opening?"

            "Saturday night at Coney Island.  They'll have it on the fairgrounds around six.  Will you come?  I'm asking my mother, Aunt May, my Aunt Anna and Peter to come as well.  It'd mean a lot if you were there." She said sincerely.  She could hear him pause on the phone for a brief moment.

"Sure M.J., I'd love to see you on stage." The warmth returned to his voice as he spoke.  "I'll see you at the show ok?"

*                                              *                                                                      *                                                          *

            "No Aunt May I don't think that a blind date would be a good idea." Peter said as he paused mid-bite in his meal.

"Oh come Peter. I haven't seen you go out and I know you are free Friday Night.  I was talking to one of my friends in my social circles and she has a very lovely girl your age she can set you up with." May said reasoning with him.

            "Aunt May I don't want to." Peter said trying not to sound like he was whining.

"Peter just do me this favor alright?" She said with a pleading tone.  Peter looked down and smirked unable to resist when he aunt pleaded in a certain tone.

            "Alright, Alright Aunt May." Peter said now grinning softly.  May leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek patting him on the shoulder impressed with her nephew.

"You are such a good young man.  Perhaps you can take your date to see "The Shrew", Mary Jane is staring in it. She finally got her first real performance."  May said matter-of-factly.

            _"Uh-oh. Mary Jane!"_ he'd forgotten about her, he would be able to bear to see the hurt look on her face when he showed up with his date to her play. Her first play…

"Um yeah Aunt May." The phone rang just in time drawing Peter from the table.  "Hello?"

            "Hiya Tiger, it's M.J." a soft voice spoke on the other line.

_'Mary Jane, speak of the dev- wait, scratch that she was no devil.._' he thought to himself_._

_"_Hi M.J. Aunt May and I were just talking about you. Congratulations about getting the part. That is pretty amazing." He could feel his cheeks go red as he ran a hand through his hair imagining Mary Jane smiling into the phone as she spoke to him.

            "Aww I wanted to tell you myself.  Well I was wondering if you wanted to go to the fair with me the night of the show. We could hang out together afterwards.  I haven't been to Coney Island since I was 14 and I'd really like it if I went back with you."

Peter was unable to respond at first, he rested the phone against his collarbone swallowing hard.  He had spent most of his life wanting to ask her out or for her to even just say "Heya Pete, want to grab a bite with me?" but to hear her ask him to take her to Coney Island for a real date was something that was from out of a dream.  He seemed to forget about the blind date he was set up in, forgetting about his vow to not let her get too close so he could protect her from a distance.  He smiled, a real smile, one that wasn't forced, one that was a true smile he hadn't used since before his Uncle's death.  "Mary Jane, I'd love-"

Duty calls…Aunt May looked at him front the table, as if reminding him about his prior engagements with the blind date.

He turned his back cupping his hand over the phone so that only M.J. could hear him.  "That fact is..that I would have loved to go with you.  More than anything really." He began reluctantly.

            "Have? What do you mean Peter?" Her voice lowered fearfully of what he was going to say.  Would she be rejected again?

"I…already…have…a date." He said slowly gritting his teeth.  He never wanted to be one to hurt Mary Jane and here he was hurting her again, twice in a row.  There was silence on the other line followed by shaky breathing.

            "Oh…Pete..I see."  _Click. _Mary Jane hung up rather quickly on him, not knowing what else to say to him.

Peter slowly hung up the phone leaning his head against the wall.  He groaned and hit his head against the wall a few times.

Maybe he should fake like he's sick Friday night so he won't have to go on the stupid date.

"Oh Peter it will be alright." May chuckled as she walked behind him bracing her hands on his shoulders.  "Everything will turn out fine you'll see. I'm sure Mary Jane will be fine in no time."

            "I wait all this time to go out on a date with Mary Jane and I have to end up turning her down so I can go out with someone else…No I don't think everything will be alright Aunt May."  _'In fact I think my date will be hell.'_

*                             *                              *                              *                               *

            By the time Friday Night rolled around Peter was scrambling all over Aunt May's house trying to get ready.  He was told that she would meet him there that way it would be easier for her to get there.  He had already spilt his cologne all over the bathroom sink and ruined one of his dress shirts when he tried to pull it on too fast and ripped it to shreds with his inhuman strength.  "Ok, Spider-man powers are bad when you are in a hurry to get dressed." He muttered to himself as he decided to dress less fancy than he had expected.  Smoothing his hair down he guessed he was about ready when the doorbell rang.

Aunt May called up to him telling him to answer the door since she was too busy trying to fix dinner for her and his date's relative who would be sharing dinner with May that night.

Peter clambered down the stairs and over to the door opening it with a simple tug on the handle.  With what he saw was just something that could put in him the hospital for a heart attack.

            "Good….god…wow…"

                                    Ok that's the end of that chapter all fluff and love and blah blah. I liked writing about the M.J. and Peter feelings thing so yeah…those that didn't like it…oh well. Hope those who did read it like it and thank you for the reviews.  By the next chapter there'll be something going on. Not to give anything away. J


	4. Everything Goes Wrong

                                                **Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel,Spider-man or any of its characters. I as well do not own copies to Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" I only plan on using some excerpts from it for my fic**                                            

*All M.J./P.P. fans forgive me as I give into the story twisting love of others. LOL although know this, I am not a Felicia fan I really do not like her at all. So if I portray Felicia in a way that her fans don't like then I apologize in advance.  I'm a Mary Jane fan, plain and simple. Hehe, I'm a bad person…since I admire M.J. so much there's going to be something she does in this..uh can't say anymore.  I just apologize in advance for the length of this chapter.*  *Congrats to Kirsten Dunst on a job well done on SNL J 

                        A tall blonde stood at the doorway with a cell phone in hand.  She appeared to be 5'8 or 5'9, long blonde hair and light blue eyes, wearing a short violet dress that ended 3 inches above her knee showing off her soft creamy skin.  She ran a tongue over her red lips as she told the person 'goodbye' on the phone.

"Are you Peter Parker?" She asked raising a brow looking at him.  Slowly he nodded finally closing his mouth.  "I'm Felicia Hardy.  My grandmother is out parking the car so she'll be inside in a moment."  She paused a moment crossing her arms over her chest.  "Can you invite me in, Parker?"

He snapped out of his little 'trance' to let her in, her grandmother finally showed up behind her walking in behind Felicia.  Aunt May appeared in the doorway drying a bowl in a dishtowel.

            "Hello Dorothy nice to see you again.  I see that my nephew has met Felicia…" She trailed off looking at what Felicia was wearing.  "Dear…don't you think what you are wearing is a little…too fancy for the carnival?" She asked trying to word it carefully.  Felicia smiled politely on key as she ran a slender hand down the fabric of the dress.

"I believe what I'm wearing should be just fine, after all your nephew deserves a girl who is willing to dress up for a date." She said.  Peter furrowed his brows slightly wondering what she meant by that.  Her name sounded familiar…Hardy…  Then it hit him.  There was another family that owned a huge business and a huge estate around there.  The Hardy family.  He was looking at the youngest daughter Felicia.  She never went to his high school, he had heard she was sent to a private school over in Paris and after graduating she came back to go to the University here.  But there was another reason why her name sounded so familiar.

"Should we get going?" She asked brushing her hair back behind her shoulders.  She looked at the door waiting for Peter to open it for her.  He finally got the idea and pulled the door open for her politely.  Aunt May walked to him straightening his shirt.

            "Be careful Peter.  Felicia is a very prim girl, so treat her very nicely and I'll see you later at the show ok?" She said.  Peter looked confused for a moment forgetting about the play.  "Remember to go see Mary Jane in "The Shrew", even if it means you having a date she'd want you there for her opening night."  He gave a swift nod, lowering his head as he walked out the door with Aunt May's car keys to take Felicia to Coney Island.  This was a big switch from what he really wanted but Peter had a chance to be taking a girl that every guy wanted, out.

****                                                    ****                                                                ****

            Mary Jane stood in front of the mirror backstage looking at the wig she'd have to wear.  As she looked at herself she saw someone she didn't recognize look back.  It wasn't because of the obvious changes in wardrobe for the play that made her think she looked different…it was what was making her change on the inside.  She was unhappy.  She spent most nights sobbing in her bed, as she would think about Peter and the emptiness inside of her that just kept growing with each waking day.  This was not how she pictured her life after high school.  She couldn't believe that Peter was going on a blind date when she would be debuting in her first play.  '_Life never turns out how'd you like'_ she though sourly.  Wiping off every trace of makeup so she would appear raw and plain for her character she didn't notice as someone slipped behind the curtain into her room.  She saw a flash of black and she whirled around, a vase in her hand ready for whoever wanted to harm her.  She lowered her hand, however, when a friendly smiled was flashed her way.

            "Oh my god, Harry!" She giggled as she sat the vase down.  "I thought you were some Carnie that wanted to mug me or something."  She wrapped her arms around him as they hugged.  He handed her a bouquet of roses.

"Well at least that vase won't be empty and ready to clobber me with." He grinned.   He leaned against the wall looking at her.  "Wow. Katharina.  Wild part for you hm?"

            "Not really, I'll actually be able to show off some real talent.  Hopefully a talent scout will see me and decide 'Gee this girl is really good. I can get her a part on Broadway'." She laughed just imagining a wave of luck.  "I'm so glad you came Harry. I didn't think anyone would come for me."

"What do you mean?  I think Peter is on top of the list to see you in this." He said looking down at the ground.  Remembering when he had seen them together in the hospital holding hands when Peter's Aunt had been injured.

            "He's on a date…" She said bitterly trying to hide her anger or jealousy.  Harry looked shocked as his expression softened.  He could tell that this hurt her.  Bracing a hand on her shoulder he reassured her.

"He's a bonehead then if he wouldn't turn it down to see you.  Any guy is an idiot not to be mesmerized with you."  He stroked her cheek.  _'Who would Peter go out with when he could have Mary Jane?!  God, I'd kill to be with Mary Jane again…'_ He thought angrily.

            "Thanks Harry.  I'm really happy you came now.  Hey… after the show is over would you like to be my date?"  She asked looking up with the same old party girl look in her eyes.

Harry found himself flabbergasted as he ran a hand back through his hair trying to sort out what he wanted to say.

"If Peter isn't going to be smart enough to go for it I as hell will.  Yeah M.J., I'd like that.  But,. To be honest I've never been to the Carnival before."  He said sheepishly.

M.J.'s eyes widened in surprise.

            "Oh Harry…well that's it then.  After the show I'm going to give you the time of your life at the Carnival." She grinned.  "Ok. That's it. I've just hit corny bottom there by saying that."  She laughed as she saw Harry hold himself back from chuckling at her.

"Watson! 5 until curtain call!"  A stagehand yelled poking his head in.

"Well that's my call.  I'll see you after the show ok, Harr."  He nodded and gave her thumbs up as he left backstage to join the audience with the others.

Mary Jane stood in the back watching the beginning performers take their places and enter onstage with a pleasing applause before they began.  She didn't take place on the stage until Baptista, Bianca, Gremio, Hortensio, Lucentio, and Tranio entered place.

"Lots of "ios" there." She muttered reading over her part.  Time went by from what felt slowly and a stagehand signaled to her to enter.

She appeared on stage with the others and waited for her time to speak.

GREMIO :[Aside] "To cart her rather: she's too rough for me.  
There, There, Hortensio, will you any wife"

Her cast mate spoke leading to Mary Jane's spot. She could feel everyone's eyes on her as she spoke in turn.

KATHARINA: "I pray you, sir, is it your will.  To make a stale of me amongst these mates?"

Mary Jane could pull off being Katharina easily, especially with her current frustration of what had being going on in her life for the past month and a half.  She could hear the audience stir in laughter as she told Gremio to comb his hair with a 3 legged stool and paint his face like a fool.  She smiled in reaction keeping her face from the audience the whole time like a pro.  She rested her hands on her hips with an ever so skillful scowl.  By the end of the scene she stalked out, feeling everyone's eyes upon her again.  Going to the side of the curtain she opened it only enough so she could see out at the darkened audience.  She could make out the first two rows; she saw her Aunt May and Aunt Anna sitting with another older woman paying closely attention to the play.  Sitting behind Aunt May she saw Harry.  She didn't see Peter, which wasn't really much of a surprise.  She knew he wouldn't voluntarily go to see her on stage when he had a date.  Until she finally caught an odd movement out in the audience towards the back.  She squinted her eyes struggling to see.  It was Peter.  He was sitting uncomfortably with some girl sitting next to him.  She had seen that girl before somewhere.  She blinked astounded.  This girl was definitely more beautiful than Mary Jane and was wearing.  _'My god, that dress is really short…and… oh man…there's no competition…He's not going to be with me definitely after being with her.' _

She leaned against the wall hanging her head sadly.  To see him with another girl who was much better than M.J. in everyway, with her arm around him, legs crossed to show off her soft skin, killed her inside.  She drew her lips back tightly holding back any if all tears that wanted to cascade down her face.  She was happy that only half of the play was being performed that night.  She didn't want to think about them while she acted and it would only be for that night that she did have to see them together.  After the show she would have she and Harry have fun on all the nights to take her mind off of it.  She hadn't checked the time and it was time for her to enter onto stage again.  This time to be the unruly sister and lose her temper.  Should be a piece of cake, she was pretty mad.  This would show that blonde girl what type of Mary Jane was when she got mad.

Both she, and the girl who played Bianca traded lines and it was time for her to lose her temper as Katharina. 

**Bianca**: "Is it for him you do envy me so?  Nay then you jest, and now I  well perceive You have but jested with me all this while: I prithee, sister Kate, untie my hands."

The girl spatted, battering her innocent eyes at Katharina (M.J.) showing a steamed anger the character Katharina walked up to Bianca.

**Katharina: "**If that be jest, then all the rest was so."

All within character Mary Jane let out a powerful strike on the girl, causing her to fall down.  The girl looked up at Mary Jane with shocked eyes whispering softly to her.  "A little too hard Mary Jane but really good."  Mary Jane smiled to herself as she was able to get back into character chasing after Bianca and striking her several times, the two of them yanking each other's hair screaming.  The audience found it uncontrollably amusing.  Some were rolling in their seats laughing and Mary Jane was happy to give them something good to watch.  Finally with Bianca running out Katharina had to finish her excerpt and leave the stage.

*                                  *                                              *                                  *

            After having changed back into her white flowered cotton dress that hung freely over her knees she appeared in the front waiting for Harry, Aunt May, and her Aunt Anna.  May and Anna hugged her congratulating her on her very talented performance even though they only did the first half that night.

            "Oh my grand-daughter was Katharina a few years ago, and she also played Juliet in her private school's senior year.  They said that she was a very talented and aspiring actress."  The woman said clutching the sapphire broach on her collar.

Anna scowled while May only scolded.

"Really, Dorothy.  Today is Mary Jane's night in the spotlight and you have to ramble on about your grand daughter's achievements to brag!"

            "It's ok Aunt May, I don't mind."  Mary Jane said placing her hand on May's shoulder trying to calm her down.

"Oh god bless you Mary Jane.  You are never selfish and always considering other's feelings." May said gripping M.J.'s arm in a motherly manor.  Dorothy rolled her eyes in irritation.

            "Really May Parker.  Maybe you should adopt her." Dorothy said sarcastically.  When Mary Jane had her back turned in discussion with Harry and Anna, May smiled whispering to Dorothy.

"She is already practically family, Dorothy.  Peter is absolutely crazy about her."

Dorothy scoffed in return.  "We'll see about that."

            "Well we'll see you later.  Harry's never been to a carnival before and I thought that I'd take him on some rides.  Bye."  She waved to them as the two of them left.

"So M.J., that was very unlike you on stage hitting that girl."  Harry stuffed his hands into his coat pockets as they walked along hearing the excited screams coming from some nearby roller coaster.

            "That's the point Harry.  I had to be in character of Katharina.  That's called acting," she laughed humorously.

"Yeah well it's a turn on." He grinned.

            "What do you mean?" she laughed looping an arm around his.

"When you were pounding on that one girl, and pulling each other's hair while you were **in character** there were these two guys behind me that were saying:

            'Oh that one girl with the temper is hot!' 'Whoa look at that, she's beating down that one girl and is getting down on her-"

Mary Jane slugged him hard in the shoulder before he could finish.

"Hey-hey!  I was just repeating what they had said.  I turned around and said to them: 'Excuse me but she is my friend and you should respect her for her bod- mind." He said quickly trying to cover up from what he had begun to say on accident.

            "Uh-huh, sure Harry, as if you weren't thinking that yourself." She narrowed her brows having a hard time to be cross with him.

She stopped suddenly as she saw Peter walk by with the girl.  She seemed to be engrossed in conversation with him.  Somehow Mary Jane recognized her.

"That's Felicia Hardy!"  Mary Jane exclaimed.  

Harry's mouth dropped open. "She's back from Paris?  Huh? How do you know her M.J.?"

            "I met her once a few years back when we both tried out for a commercial.  She got it of course but I just hated how she rubbed into my face about all the excellent school she had gone to and her horse 'Buttercup' that her mother has bought her.  Does that sound like bragging to you?"

Harry nodded assenting.  He couldn't believe that a drop dead gorgeous girl like Felicia was with Peter.  "I heard that she was dating Flash Thompson from college." Harry said crossing his arms over his chest.

Felicia leaned over and kissed a surprised Peter on the lips as she guided him over to the Ferris wheel.

Mary Jane's face turned a shade about as dark as her face as she spoke with vehemence.

"Oh really now?!  Come on lets go onto the Starship ride."

*           ***                 ****                *******                  ********

            Sitting atop the Ferris wheel with the lovely Miss Hardy there was only one thing Peter could think about.  Mary Jane.  He saw her face after she spotted Peter and Felicia together.  Only guilt and shame was all that could describe what he was feeling.  As their cart stopped at the top Felicia gazed out amazed by the beautiful lights of the Carnival.

            "Sheesh you've been quiet all night." She said finally breaking the silence between the two of them.  Peter glanced up.  She was right; he barely said six words to her that evening.  He mainly let her do all the talking; it seemed like what she wanted anyways.

"Sorry Felicia I'm just not feeling well."  He said leaning back.  She smiled, her rose-colored lips upturning in the corners as if she was conspiring something.

            "It's that red headed girl isn't it?" She asked as if reading his mind.

"And how did you know that?"  He said looking down below them for the red haired girl Felicia noticed.

            "You're Aunt told my grandmother who in turn told me that you were getting over some red haired girl.  I can help you get over her, you know." She smiled leaning in close.  Feeling uncomfortable Peter scooted to his side of his seat near the edge.  He didn't want to get over Mary Jane, and why would Aunt May tell Felicia's grandmother that Peter wanted to get over Mary Jane when she knew how crazy Peter was over her.  As the Ferris wheel began to lower to let him down he saw both Mary Jane and Harry walking out from the spinning top shaped roller coaster.  Mary Jane was helping Harry who seemed a little disoriented, hunched over clutching his stomach.  He smirked softly.

            _'Poor Harry, he forgot that he had never been to the carnival before.  I guess he didn't know about the rule of not to eat right before going on any roller coasters'_

*           **         ******            ******         *******            ********

            "Harry I warned you not to eat a corndog!" Mary Jane laughed as she helped Harry over towards the bathrooms.  He grimaced holding his stomach almost ready to vomit all over the ground.  Pushing the bathroom door open she held it open for him as he lurched inside.  "Good luck Harry!"  She yelled as he went in.  She smiled in embarrassment for Harry as she sat down on a bench near the restrooms with a sigh.  She looked up at the sky watching the stars quietly and heard someone approaching.  She glanced back at eye level to see Felicia Hardy standing in front of her with a smile on her face.

            "Long time no see Felicia.  Not that I'm griping."  Mary Jane said crossing her arms over her chest.

"Of course Mary Jane.  Nice job on the play." She said blowing on her nails.

For Felicia to tell someone "Nice job" it would be considered a definite compliment.

            "Um thank you Felicia.  Having a nice time?"  She asked sincerely.  She should be having a nice time as long as she's with one of the greatest guys in the world.

"Yes I suppose.  You know he never mentioned that the two of you went-" She began but Mary Jane cut her off.

"We never did to go on a formal date, Felicia.  If you'd please not to try to rub anything into my face."  Mary Jane said softly with no anger whatsoever.  She was hurt by Peter saying he didn't want a relationship with Mary Jane and then to go with one of the richest girls in New York.

Felicia snickered to herself and waved Peter over to come join them.  He didn't see Mary Jane, so carrying the cotton candy Felicia asked for he walked over handing her stick of cotton.  He froze when he saw Mary Jane sitting on the bench.  "Peter I should have told you that I had already known Mary Jane.  She and I met six years ago when we both tried out for a 'Jell-o' commercial." She smiled.  "Your hair is a much more stunning shade than it was back then." She said trying to compliment her.  Looking at the ground Mary Jane got to her feet.  She clenched her fists tightly and murmured a "please excuse me" and took off from the restrooms.  She couldn't stand there anymore and be humiliated.  Especially in front of the man she loved and the woman who had always been her rival.  But her rival had won, gaining a date from Peter.  If she had only turned to look back once she would see the anger on his face that he tried to hold back after Felicia had insulted Mary Jane.

*********Ok I'm ending the chapter here so I can quickly type up the next chapter.  I thought I'd spare you all from the length so I'm sorry for the above piece if it gets boring.  Some interesting things begin to happen soon I promise.  And I'm sorry for bringing Felicia into this, but I thought maybe I could give a slight twist in it****


	5. Scent of Jasmine

                                                **A/N**:  "The night is young as is the chance of a cat-fight forming to some people's entertainment. Muahaha! Hehe anyways I didn't like how my last chapter turned out…I'm hoping it'll sound better with this one.  I hope you can guess who the new villain is. I'm thinking that only the people that saw the cartoon or ever read the comics will know who it is. His history will be similar to the original characters but I will change and add certain things to him that will make him different so it'll go with the original idea of the fic. But I will reveal the name at the end of the chapter if needed.  Sorry for the length of the chapter but I think it gets good. :D *** **Still don't own Spider-man or Marvel**

************   *********   *******   *******

**Chapter 5: Jasmine**

            The sounds of the carnival brought back disturbing memories for him.  He sat across the street watching the pathetic civilians of New York play under the bright neon lights of Coney Island.  Balancing the hologram emitter on his palm he smiled in the dark.  Soon these…pitiful bugs that inhabited New York would be worshiping him like a god or they'd all be locked away like the rest of the nuts.  He knew this was rather stereotypical of people who thought like him but he believed that he deserved to be in charge of this world more than anyone else.  Just as soon as he killed the loon that dressed in tights and swung around the city claiming that he was a superhero sent to save their city from those who posed ill will.  Gathering up his stuff he took an angering glance back at the carnival, "You bastards will all pay for ruining me." He hissed before he vanished again.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *

            Harry tried to comfort Mary Jane through her sobs of humiliation.  They sat on one of the kiddy rides just moving slowly in circles.

            "I'm such an idiot!" She cried into her hands muffling her voice as she thought back to her reaction to Felicia insulting her.

Harry patted her back trying to console her.

"You're just the opposite Mary Jane.  You were the bigger person, you could have lashed back but you just ignored her."

She looked at him narrowing her eyes and shaking her head no.

            "Ha, no.  My reaction was to get up crying while knocking down a trashcan in the process almost tripping and falling on my face.  I just wish I could crawl into a hole and never come out.  I hate her, I've never really hated someone but she just brings out the worst in me." She pulled out a very familiar handkerchief from her pocket looking at it.  The initials were P.P. (Peter Parker) and she broke into another sob. (From the book for the movie, he gives her his handkerchief after she runs out of the apartment during Thanksgiving) 

            Looking over at a very large roller coaster Harry smiled.  "MJ go on the "Ring of Fire" with me."  He said directing her view to the large roller coaster looming up towards the sky with brimming fire.  MJ quirked her brows wiping her eyes, _'Guess he's trying to take my mind off of it'_

The two boarded the roller coaster only causing a groan from Harry as Peter and Felicia chose to get on as well, by request Peter sat down in the cart behind Mary Jane and Harry.  Peter rested a hand on Mary Jane's shoulder.

            "MJ I'm sorry for not speaking up I.." he began but was cut off by Harry.

"Pete, just enjoy the ride.  I think MJ wants to enjoy it herself without having to hear excuses or insults."  Harry said trying not to come off as rude as he did.  Mary Jane closed her eyes tightly with a sigh as she heard Peter fall back against his seat with a thud.  For some odd reason Felicia kept her mouth shut just gazing down towards the ground from their height.  With a heavy jerk the ride began moving upward in a tilted direction.  Mary Jane casted her sad eyes on the stars over her heard thinking to herself of what had happened that night.  It just didn't make any sense to her.   She cried out in surprise as the coaster shot downwards fast, heavy black rings moving in circular motions with explosions of fire as it orbited the area of their track.  Everyone seated was silenced in awe as the fire would hover only inches from their bodies.  Peter sat perfectly still, using his spider-sense to detect if any danger would come to this.

            Jerking against her seat violently Mary Jane gave a loud gasp.  Harry furrowed his brows wondering what the heck was the thing that just rocked into their cart a second ago as a purple cape brushed before their faces in just a second.  Peter began to look around frantically as his spider-sense began to go nuts, screaming in his mind almost causing him to jump from the roller coaster.  The tracks began to shake and a large portion of the tracks fell away giving a gap of 18 feet.  However this was not what was driving Peter's spider-sense to go nuts.  Without a single moment the roller coasted continued on over the gap as if it wasn't even though.  Screams began to echo over the park, as everything seemed to stop.  The rings, the tracks, everything began to shake as the carts tilted off to the side.  As she wasn't holding on, foolishly, Mary Jane slipped off the cart and over the edge of the tracks screaming.  She managed to hold onto a splintered piece of aluminum, dangling in the air far above the ground.  

Peter gripped the bars in front of his seat trying to think up a plan to be able to change into spider-man so he could rescue her before she fell.  The carts began to tilt more, while they were distracted Peter tilted his hand under the wheels shooting his webbing at the tracks holding them on to wrap around the carts tightly.  The carts tilted back into place on the tracks not catching the attention of anyone while their horrified stares were on Mary Jane.

            "Try to help Mary Jane up! I'm going to go get help!"  Peter shouted as he climbed out of his seat.

"Are you crazy?!  We're too far up for you to try to climb down!"  Felicia yelled trying to keep him in his seat.

            "If nobody does anything to help her she'll fall! Let me go and get some help Felicia!" he reasoned pulling back from her hold no matter what she tried.  Felicia shrank back in her seat surprised by Peter's gentle strength.  Usually men weren't able to remove her so quickly like that without using brute force.

Climbing down was a cinch for Peter, but for anyone who was looking he made it look a little more difficult than it really was.  His heartbeat quickened as he heard M.J.'s painful screams as she tried to hold on, the sharp metal digging into her skin, causing little droplets of blood to fall.  He could hear it when the blood hit, not caring if anyone saw him or not he dove off the tracks landing on the ground and ran as fast as he could to a corner to where he could change.

            Mary Jane looked up at the frightened faces of both Felicia and Harry, they were leaned over the edge trying to grab Mary Jane and pull her up to safety yet they weren't close enough.

As if having been in the neighborhood they were the "whooshing" sound of webs being fired.  The web printed hero swung in from the nearby area and swooped in at Mary Jane catching her in his arms just before she fell.  Spider-man stopped, using one arm to place around Mary Jane's waist as he held onto the side of the tracks as he looked up at the crowd forming over the edge.

            "Nothing to worry about folks. Return to your seats and wait for help to arrive."  He said trying to coax the people back into their spots.  Harry narrowed his eyes pointing an accusing finger at Spider-man.

"You're a murderer!  You should be in prison right now!"  Harry began to climb out of his seat trying to go after Spider-man.  To ensure his safety Spider-man shot webbing shaped thinly like rope at Harry's wrists that held him to his seat.

            "Sorry Osborn, don't have time to deal with you wanting to kill me right now."  He said humorously as he swung down from the tracks.  Shooting out web after web, Spider-man finally directed them towards the entrance of the carnival setting down to the ground gently still holding onto Mary Jane.  Her eyes were still closed tightly as she continued to hold onto Spider-man, the event still fresh in her mind.  "You ok?"  He asked lifting her chin up so she would finally open her eyes.

She shook her head "no" looking very pale.  "I'll take you home then." He said getting ready to pick her up and take off again, not caring if he'd leave his date there, considering how rude she had been to M.J.  Mary Jane only shook her head no walking over to the bench to sit down.  She pulled her knees up to her chest as she wrapped her arms around her legs shaking.

"I just need to sit here for awhile.  Besides I don't want Harry to think I ditched him again.  It wouldn't be very nice."  She said glancing up at Spider-man.  He rubbed his chin watching her, as if raising a brow in admiration.

            "You're a one in a million.  You always continue to surprise me."  He said a soft smile gracing his face.

"You're the only one who thinks so, then."  She said softly looking down at the ground.  He felt the notion to go over there and take her in his arms as he watched her shrink in her seat.  His fists clenched and unclenched in anticipating trying to hold himself back.  Just as he took a step forward he jerked his head back as his spider-sense went off again.  Two smoke bombs went sailing into him hard, knocking him to the ground before he could move.  That was odd, he'd never been caught off guard before.

            "Run Mary Jane!" Spider-man yelled over his shoulder and he jumped to a crouch looking over at his attacker.  A figure of over six feet loomed from the smoke dressed in a green armored like "mech" suit that could even resemble similar to what the Green goblin had once worn.  He wore a long purple cape down his back, yellow gloves and yellow boots only adding to his odd look, completed with a glass dome over his head that was impossible to see into but easy to see out of.

"What kind of villain are you?  Stealing someone's fishbowl to use for a head?" he said with mirthless humor.

            The new attacker just stood there obviously unaffected by Spider-man's jokes.

"Very soon you'll pay like the rest of them.  Except I won't let you live, you'll die here in the city, trying to protect those who could care less for your heroics." His voice was distorted from under the dome hiding any key to identifying him.

"Great another psycho.  You get rid of one but then another one pops up from nowhere trying to take over the world."  He shook his head making fun of the situation.

            "Go ahead and crack jokes, little spider.  But one way or another you'll all pay for ruining my life."  He garbled whipping out a weapon of some sort.  In sudden reflex, Spider-man leapt at him feet first ready to eject the loony into some psych ward, yet he went right through him as if he was a ghost.  As Spider-man turned around he saw the figure standing normally as he did before, but he appeared smaller.  He blinked with a confused manner as he directed a hand towards the dome-headed man.  The image of him disappeared into thin air until Spidey brought his hand back to his side.

            "Hologram…" he murmured alarmed.  Screams directed his attention back to the roller coaster where he had saved Mary Jane.  The carts were tipping over the edge and from the far distance he could see Felicia trying to hold onto her cart with a "scared-as-hell" Harry trying to hold onto her.  _'Crap!  This guy spares no expense in making people suffer does he?"_

Aiming his wrist diagonally over his head and in just seconds he was back in the air swinging like a mad-man to save his— err… Peter Parker's blind date from being flattened if she fell.

*

            Felicia hung onto the bars of the cart as tight as she could, screaming at the top of her lungs.  The tracks weren't able to hold the carts of the roller coaster in this manner, especially since some lunatic had blasted the hell out of them making them very weak.  However the only thing she could think of at that moment was: "Why couldn't Spider-man come and save me too or this that just reserved for Miss Mary Jane Watson?!"

"Felicia, hold on!"  Harry shouted trying to grab for her from his distance.  Just as his hand brushed by hers she fell.  More like plummeted from the tracks.  Her scream was frozen in side her as her blue eyes widened in fear and shock feeling the ground coming up fast.  Just as soon as she was about to lose whatever life she had within her, strong arms snatched her in the air pulling her back up towards the sky.  She had never really seen Spider-man close up before so at first contact with the costumed figure her scream loosened up in her throat, ringing in his ears.  He tensed up quickly clamping a hand over his ear almost letting go of her.  He dropped to the ground with her quickly setting her on her feet.  Quickly she stepped back, examining the wearer of blue and red.

            "Argh my ears…you know it's not nice to scream at the person who is trying to save you." He said with humor.

All Felicia was able to manage herself to say was… "Spandex?"

            His head shot up looking at her sharply.  "Lycra.  Spandex bad!  Lycra good!"

Felicia raised a brow, skeptical of this "superhero".  "I get the idea." She said.

            "Well. Bye then." He said shooting a long strand of webbing at the lamppost overhead leaping into the air.

"Wait!"  She called running after him.  He stopped hanging upside down from the lamppost as if showing off, waiting.

"Thank you."  She said speaking entirely sincerely.  No one had ever saved her life before, and she had doubted that anyone would ever really like to.  He was gone by the time she looked back up at the lamppost.  She jerked around with a cry after someone tapped her on the shoulder.

"Ready to go home?"  Peter Parker asked as he stood before her, oblivious as to what had just happened.  Pursing her lips once she shook her head 'no'.  She explained to him that she wanted to visit the restroom first before they left.  He nodded telling her that he'd wait out in the car for her after she was done, walking away.  She watched him leave narrowing her eyes. 

"Just where did you go off to, Parker?" She wondered aloud.  Retreating back into the ladies room she decided to clean the perspiration off her face from the terror stricken event she had just witnessed not even minutes ago.  Splashing water on her smooth, creamy skin she examined the perfections and the hidden imperfections she had.  The door opened and Mary Jane walked inside looking through the contents of her purse.  Not seeing Felicia, she bumped into her, causing Felicia to drench the top of her dress.  Freezing in place Mary Jane looked up with saddened guilt.

"I'm really sorry Felicia. I didn't mean to do that."  She said grabbing some paper towels trying to dry her off.  Felicia knocked Mary Jane's hands down from her causing the towels to clutter to the ground.

"Really Watson, I think you did that on purpose." She growled, losing her temper finally, able to find someone to take her emotions of the horrible event out on.

"No I really didn't, I swear." She said truthfully.

"You know what your problem is Mary Jane?  You can't accept the fact that Peter doesn't want to be with you.  Yes I know all about what happened between you and Peter.  He doesn't want a relationship with you and you need to face reality in that!"  She said harshly not even carrying about the ripple effect of her words.  Mary Jane's reaction to this was something that Felicia would have never guessed.  All she saw was a fist swinging at her face and then an explosion of red light in her eyes and searing pain.  Felicia fell to the ground on her butt holding her face as Mary Jane literally decked her.  Opening her other eye she saw Mary Jane standing over her with blind fury, both fists clenched as her eyes were intense with extreme anger.

         "Why are you such a bitch, Felicia?!  What is your problem?  I try being nice to you and all I get is crap from you!  You are a horrible human being!" Mary Jane yelled.  Felicia glared up at her, clenching her teeth, angry that she was called a "bitch" from someone who obviously didn't know what they were talking about.  She dove at Mary Jane's midsection, slamming the two of them up against the door violently.  Mary Jane slid down with a painful moan as Felicia pinned her down roughly. 

"You are my problem!  Miss Perfect!  Everybody loves little Mary Jane Watson!"  She exclaimed digging her nails into Mary Jane, driving a single slap across her face.

MJ drove her knee between Felicia and herself prying her off of her, the two of them locking into the fight.  Mary Jane grabbed tightly onto Felicia's hair yanking back as Felicia did the same. Their screams seemed to echo throughout the park drawing the security inside the restroom.  Both women were rigid with hatred for one another.  Felicia raked her nails across Mary Jane's cheek, cutting her lip as they were tugged away from one another.  

Tasting her own blood Mary Jane wriggled out of the grasp from the officer, shoving into Felicia sharply pushing her into the trashcan.  With a yelp, the blonde bombshell fell bum first into the trashcan, laughter exploding from all around.

         "I'm not perfect Felicia.  But you always strive to look perfect on the outside, you really ought to work on what's inside."  Mary Jane said before she was pulled outside of the restroom.

Harry glared at the murderer, Spider-man, took off with Felicia Hardy in his arms disappearing into the night.  No one should ever trust that web-head, and he thought that it was unfair that Spider-man was able to walk free with the blood of his father, Norman Osborn, on his hands.  Shoving his hands into his coat pockets he walked by himself away from the carnival.  He left his chauffeur back at the grounds deciding that he needed this walk to calm him down.  Stopping at a tree he grabbed the tin-wire trashcan at his side and hurled it violently at the ground.

"I'm not going to let Spider-man get away with murdering my father!" He shouted looking at the sky.  He remembered his vow he made to pay Spider-man back dearly.  Something quickly grabbed him from behind whirling him around.  Harry suddenly found himself face-to-face with someone in a green armored costume with a fishbowl head.  "Hey get off! I don't have any money to give you!" He yelled pushing the man off him, not in any mood to be messed with.

The man only laughed at him, letting go of his coat collar.  "I see that you are after Spider-man as well.  How would you like      to make a deal?" The man said distortedly.

Harry frowned looking at him.  He didn't trust anyone much anymore.  This guy could be in league with Spider-man trying to capture another Osborn.  "What type of deal…"

"You're Norman Osborn's kid.  I figure that you are the only person that could fund my development on my inventions to destroy Spider-man.  You'll also get my protection.  Just think, you get your own protection and the death of Spider-man just by providing me a lab and money for research."  He said, no emotion able to be read from the hidden stranger.

Harry thought over the proposition.  This guy could be out to screw him over in the end once Spider-man is gone turning his inventions on Harry to take over the corporation that he inherited.  He would make sure that there would be no way that this guy could turn on him.

"We should discuss this at the corporation tomorrow evening and negotiate on terms rather than decide here and now." Harry said cautiously.  "What do you go by anyways?"  Harry asked before he walked away.

"I go by Mysterio."  He said before he vanished into the night.  Harry smiled to himself as the man disappeared.  _"Finally I'll return the favor back to Spider-man."_

*******           ***********           ***********           *************

Standing across the street from Mary Jane Watson's apartment Spider-man landed softly on the roof of the jeweler's store.  He grinned from under his mask remembering the look on Felicia's face when she had returned to the car and told him what happened.  Of course she said that Mary Jane had started the fight, but she had deserved all that had come to her.  Peter later had found out what had really happened from one of the police officers brought to break up the fight.  He felt very proud of Mary Jane, even if it resulted in an all war catfight between the two.  Leaping across the way he landed silently on her roof lowering him down onto the balcony.  Looking in through the glass he could see her sleeping form under the covers, yet she wasn't sleeping.  He felt his stomach tighten and his guard go down as he saw her crying, her legs curled in towards her stomach, clutching the pillow with one hand with the other just under her eyes.  She didn't seem to see him as he lightly pressed a gloved palm against the door causing it to open flawlessly without a sound.  He found it surprising that she had left them unlocked but guessed that she had only forgotten.  Walking slowly to her beside, the moonlight had begun to cast his silhouette on the walls still not drawing her attention.  Standing over her he placed a hand on her shoulder softly caressing her hair as he looked down at her with bemused love.  She jerked over looking up at him with fear.  He drew back quickly not seeing her ottoman and falling backwards just able to catch himself in a crouch.  Mary Jane flipped on her bedside lamp and looked at him with alarm.  He jumped up to her side again as he looked at the cut along the left side of her lip and the welt on her face.  

He sat down on the edge of the bed, taking her chin in his hands gently observing the markings on her with such tenderness.  She closed her eyes relishing his soft touch on her face, not caring about the searing pain emitting from her mouth.

         "It's from a fight at the carnival."  She said trying to keep her voice steady not wanting to cry in front of him.  He seemed to smile from under the mask.

    "I heard about it from the neighboring people.  I heard you two stirred up quite a ruckus."  He said.

She managed to smile weakly but her jaw only trembled causing her to frown, lowering her head.

         "I made a fool out of myself in front of someone I really cared about.  Now I know why he doesn't want to be with me."  She whispered loud enough for him to hear as she turned her head away, letting the hot tears roll down her face.  The pain inside of her was more than she had ever felt before.  She'd been lonely every single night since the funeral, lying in bed thinking about Peter and his words.  Trying to free the pain from her heart.

Peter could feel himself fall apart watching Mary Jane experience so much pain, because of him.  He had promised that he'd never let any harm come to Mary Jane but he had only thought on the physical aspects rather than the emotional side.  Seeing her weakened like this made him want to disappear.  He took her in his arms, drawing her body close to his, which in turn she pulled her face into his chest.  All he could do was hold her, feeling her fingers cling to his arms as she released all her anguish and misery.  He wanted to hold her forever, to kiss her, and make everything better.  To get rid of everything that had ever harmed her.  Mary Jane was his angel, a being perfect in all ways but vulnerable by heart.  A spider and an angel seemed like a very unlikely pair but always in his dreams he'd be with Mary Jane.  Just not in reality.  He pulled away eventually and stood back up turning his back ready to leap off into the night but her gentle hand grabbed his stopping him.

         "Please stay with me through the night.  I know it's a lot to ask but I can't bear to be alone tonight.  I need someone to hold me."  She said with all sincerity intended.  He contemplated to himself whether he should or not.  His mind kept on telling him to leave; he needed to distance himself from her to keep her safe.  Yet his heart once again told him to remain with her.  The look in her eyes was all too much to ignore and he nodded silently.  She scooted over to the other side of the bed.  Laying down on one of her pillows, leaving one for him, she laid on her side with her back turned to him.  Laying on top of the covers and resting his head on the pillow he wrapped his arms around her tightly but gently.  His heart pounded with fear and excitement as she lied next to her, her head against his chest, taking in her perfumed scent.  He began to feel all too comfortable wanting to fall asleep with her there.

"Jasmine…the scent that drives a man wild."  He murmured tiredly before slipping off to sleep.


	6. Roses

            **A/N**: "OK no killing the author here after you read this chapter, it gets kind of sad and breaks off to a point. I'm writing the next chapter already for it so you'll have to wait and see what happens. If it sounds like I rushed this part I apologize."

**Disclaimer: Still don't own marvel or sony and its characters. Thankyou.**

Awaking to a feeling of suffocation is not a great thing.  At least Peter didn't think so when he began to try to breathe in through the restriction of his mask.  His eyes were still closed but he knew it was morning by feeling the sun on his back from the window nearby.  He yawned softly not caring that his mask was still on, smiling to himself he thought to himself that he loved the dream he had, that he had visited Mary Jane last night after the carnival and ended up falling asleep with her in his arms.

_            'Hahaha, funny, Parker.  You know that'd never happen.' _He thought, except he opened his eyes.  There were just lying only a few inches from him laid his red headed goddess who he had been in love with since a child. Her head was on the same pillow he was, her face just inches from him, with a leg entwined with one of his.  He could only blink, wondering if this was real.  Hearing her sigh and move her leg slightly in her sound sleep was enough to assure him it was real.  His body tensed as he felt her leg rub against him, making him very nervous and excited all at once.  _'Oh crap!'_ He gulped. _'This definitely cannot be reality.  Oh no, you fell asleep here…did she pull up my mask while I was asleep?'_ He questioned himself.  Who was he kidding, if she has not only would she have awoken him with her discovery but also have kicked him out of her apartment for sure.  He also trusted her; she would never betray her confidence in a person.  If he trusted her why didn't he tell her what was really going on?  It was too complicated for him.  He loved her with all his heart, with all his fiber of being and he couldn't let her get close.  When he heard her say those words that day in the commentary that he had been longing to hear it nearly killed him to have to say he couldn't be anything more than a friend.  All he could do was angst about wanting to be with her when he had too much responsibility to endanger her life.  It was a constant whirlpool.  He'd have to stop that; he'd have to break off complete contact with her soon just to make sure that nothing would happen to her.  _'That's not what a friend does.'_ He told himself, his mind battling the pros and cons back and forth.

            "M.J. are you in?" A females voice called from the apartment.  Spidey/Peter shot his head up to the Mary Jane's closed door not knowing if it was locked or not.  He wasn't willing to risk it and this would be the best chance to slip out.  He looked at Mary Jane, tangled up in both the sheets and his legs, wondering how he was going to move her without waking her up.  Gritting his teeth he reached down to Mary Jane's leg that was wrapped around his and gently began to move her leg from around his and slowly back over onto the bed.  She stirred slightly with a soft sigh, a smile creeping upon her lips.  She was awake and he knew it.  When someone was asleep their breathing and movement was completely different than that of being awake.  Her chest no longer rose and fell in a rhythmic movement, and her long slender fingers began to tap on the mattress.

_            'Ha, very sneaky M.J.'_ However he was very skilled in getting out of places without a single sound and perhaps he could sneak out before she woke up.

"M.J. your door is locked c'mon let me in."  The girl prodded trying to open the door with a few knocks put in as well.

            Mary Jane had a feeling he was here.  At first she thought it was a dream until she felt movement beside her, felt the warmth from his body as he shifted his weight and moved her away from him.  She could care less about getting up to open the door for her roommate; she wanted to open her eyes to see for herself that he was here.  She fluttered her eyes open searching for the familiar red and blue of the hero.

            Before her eyes opened he made sure that he was out the window and back clinging to the wall looking down at the streets below him.  He was playing a dangerous game, and this time he was lucky.  "I'm sorry Mary Jane." He whispered before letting himself free-fall from the ledge, soaring towards the streets and then firing a gossamer string of webbing at a building's ledge pulling himself up into the air before hitting a cab and far from her apartment.

*                                              *                                              *                                  *

            Harry glanced at the OsCorp lab that he was just notified even existed.  He felt very odd to be dressed in a business suit that his very own father used to sport while in charge of the company.  Now Harry was in charge while being coached by a personal friend and partner of the family.  It just seemed like something he had never really wanted for his life, he wasn't like his father but he had no choice.  His father had worked very hard to get this far and here Harry was to continue on his legacy just as he had asked of him.  He had hired other scientists to help his new ally "Mysterio" on developing some sort of weapon against the indestructible Spider-man.  Well he wouldn't be indestructible for long.  Soon he would be dead like planned and Harry would be able to get on with his life accompanied with his best friend Peter Parker who he would in the future get him a better job and better apartment or suite instead of their drafty loft in the city.  Peter had been the only person who even cared about him; let him be who he really was instead of expecting him to be someone else.  Sure Mary Jane had fallen in love with Peter which in turn broke Harry's heart making him think that Peter stole her away but nothing had happened between the two in terms of romance since then.  With Spider-man gone Harry would also be able to pursue a better relationship with Mary Jane.  There were just too many things to list of what good would come with Spider-man's demise.

            Harry now looked at the man who had approached him at the carnival the other night, he had the dome off his head just remaining in the armored suit testing chemicals together for his secret potion or whatever it was he was making.  The man had long blonde hair pulled tightly back into a ponytail, and by his face he seemed like he was in his 30's.  If it wasn't by the expression on his face he wouldn't seem like the type that would be a mastermind villain, if he was so smart why did he resolve to being a killer?  He had designed gadgets like hologram emitters, smoke bombs, and other miscellaneous things that he had not even heard of.  Harry had done his research and found out that Mysterio's real name was Quentin Beck.  He had worked in the movie and stage department several years back designing all the special effects for a particular movie or play, it wouldn't specify all too much.  He did something disastrous with the effects causing several deaths and the lead's disappearance.  He was caught and arrested for the act sent to jail.  It wasn't too long after that he escaped from jail without a trace.  Until now…

            "If you're caught you have to remember that you will not tell them who has been supplying you the funding and lab to create your weapons, you know that right?"  Harry said crossing the room to Quentin with a dead serious look on his face.  The man nodded frustrated.

            "Ditto goes for you kid.  I'm not the only one who is at stake of being found out.  Some people are pretty smart in putting 2 and 2 together and you'll be caught as well."  He studied a red liquid vial in his hands and handed it to a scientist to have tested.

"Going anywhere tonight young Master?"  He said in a mock tone looking at Harry.

Harry snorted annoyed with Quentin's rude humor.

"There's a play over near Broadway, a friend of mine is doing the second half of the play they had last night.  I promised her I'd come to cheer her on."  He said searching his pockets for his ticket.

Quentin froze in place and turned to look at Harry with a devious smile.  "Was she the little red head girl that Spider-man saved last night?"  He said in a tone that made Harry want to question his motive.

            "Yeah that was her, why?" He asked suspiciously narrowing his eyes in an untrusting manner.

"No reason, just wondering.  Go have fun at the little play and be ready to strike soon."  He said turning his back going back to his formula.  "I'll discuss a plan with you later on."  With that he seemed to dismiss Harry from the lab entirely.  With a shrug Harry turned and walked out of the lab wondering what Mysterio was up to.

*                                                          *                                              *                                  

            Peter looked at his answering machine with a pale expression.  He had too many messages to check for that day, he could already guess some of the people who had left him a message.  Aunt May probably to ask him how his date went with Felicia, J.J.J asking about the pictures from the Coney Island Carnival and shots of the play, Felicia asking about Peter dropping her off so soon last night, Harry probably called asking him where he went after climbing down the roller coaster.  Which in Peter's mind that was a very dumb thing to do with thousands of people in watch.  He stopped wondering if M.J. was amongst the people who left him a message, his finger lingered over the button to play the messages and he finally pressed the button leaning against the wall.  Sure enough he heard Aunt May's voice accompanied by Mary Jane's Aunt Anna who was asking about what happened with her niece. Jonah did call and sounded rather pissed off that Peter didn't stop by that morning to drop off the photos. _'He's never heard of the weekend I take it.'_ Peter grumbled to himself.  Then he heard the voice he had desired to hear.

            "Hi Tiger its MJ.  I want to apologize for acting like an idiot last night, it's none of my business whom you date and I didn't have the right to be so rude to you and your date.  To make it up to you I brought over a free ticket to come see me tonight.  It should be under your door, please come tonight I really need to talk to you.  It should clear everything up.  Well, bye."  By the end of the message Peter had already grabbed his coat and headed out the door to see the marvelous Mary Jane Watson on stage to hear her out, and to tell her he could never see her again.

*                                  *                                  *                                  *            *

            Nervously Mary Jane paced in her cramped dressing room that was given to her out of pity in the last minute.  She would be performing in front of a larger audience than the night before and this was the last half of the play.  This was also the night she would finally have a real conversation with Peter, she would try to get him to open up to her.  

"Riiiight." She emphasized 'right' to herself. "Like Peter Parker would open up to me."  Her nerves felt right on edge like she sensed that, that night wouldn't go by so great.  She took deep breaths shaking her hands out and rolling her shoulders.  A sharp knock on the door beside her stopped her wary thoughts.  One of the company's aides poked his head in.

            "Miss Watson, these flowers came for you." He said carrying in a vase filled with roses covered in pink wrapping.

            "Thanks.  Do they need me for the rest of rehearsal?"

"Nope, Miss Watson.  They just want you to be ready to take stage in 10."  The aide said before disappearing out of the room again.  Mary Jane walked over to the vase taking the card from the side.

            _"Observe life with a critical eye because we do not know for sure when it will all be taken away from us.  You are like a preserved rose of the city, untouched, a woman with unfathomable depth. Keep the rose from the winter cold, for if we do not they whither and die…"_

Mary Jane stood in silence staring at the note in wonderment and confusion, wondering what it meant.  There was no sign of identification of the person who wrote it. Setting the card down she decided to unwrap the flowers to see what type they were, although 'roses' sprung to mind she wanted to be certain.  The plastic wrapping was stuck tight causing Mary Jane to use her nails. The wrapping gave way and large thorn impaled deeply into M.J.'s thumb.  Dark crimson blood began to flow down her hand and onto the desk.  Whimpering, Mary Jane grabbed a tissue and tied it tightly around her thumb.  She never thought that a mere thorn could hurt so much.  Furrowing her brows she pulled off the wrapping looking at a bunch of dead roses, the thorns however were oddly…alive. Covered in her blood.  Grunting, she knocked the dead bouquet into the trash not giving it another thought.  It was time for her to hit the stage and for the show to begin.

            As Katharina she walked on stage with Petruchio for the dinner scene, yet she didn't feel altogether for some reason.  She could spot Aunt May, Aunt Anna, her mother, Harry and Peter all in the front row smiling up at her but still something was wrong.  When it came time to recite her lines she did so will perfection ignoring any odd feeling she was getting.  Then the lights swung down from the ceiling just missing her by a few inches, odd purple smoke rising from them.  The performers shielded their faces coughing, dusting the smoke away.  Out from the crowd Peter knew that this wasn't part of the play, his spider-sense was going crazy and he searched the rafters for the person who knocked the lights down.  A shadow disappeared just in time before being caught.

            "Improv! Improv!" The director hissed from behind the curtains as the smoke cleared away.  The others nodded going into their lines and then it came time to Mary Jane's part.  As she stood there gazing out at the audience one would think that nothing was wrong.  It looked as if she had forgotten her simple line.  "Bid them aiduie." The director said only loud enough for her.

As she stood there Mary Jane was only able to blink her green eyes, opening her mouth but nothing coming out.  The world was becoming cold to her, and dark.  The very air stolen from her and everything came to a crashing halt as she tried to move.

            Peter stared up at Mary Jane knowing that something was wrong.  Her face had suddenly gone pale, even her lips were turning blue.  Panic and fear took ahold of him as her body fell lifelessly to the ground, eyes closed tightly and hands unclenched.  The crowd sat in their seats not sure of how to react to this.  The other performers rushed to M.J.'s side bending over her checking for a pulse.  The one she came on stage with looked up suddenly towards the director who stood behind the curtains, with a look of both fear and confusion.

            "She's dead!  Sir, she's dead!"

** **   **                                **                                **                    **                    **

A/N: "Eek don't kill me hehe but it's the end of this chapter. Yes there's more to come, you've got to see what is in store.  Look forward to seeing Spider-man in a very pissy mood, he's gonna kick some ass!"


	7. Helpless

            **A/N**: Ok thank you for all the reviews I got for the last chapter, I was surprised (truly) to see how many I got for it and hehe I even liked some of the half-flames I got. But really I'm not out to hurt MJ. She's such a kickass character that she has a major role in this story, I've been thinking of this idea for almost over a week and a half  so stay in tune and see what will happen. However I had a little bit of a hard time with this fic, it's taken awhile because I've been trying to get out what I was thinking so if it comes to a part where it sounds like I don't know what I'm talking about I apologize in advance. Afterall a lot of this comes from my imagination so if I make something up, then…. Yay? J

*          *          *          *          *          *          *                      *

"NO!" It came like an inhuman scream from Peter.  In just mere seconds he had leaped on stage shoving people out of his way as he ran to Mary Jane.  He closed his eyes tightly as he took her in his arms, her body felt like ice.  That wasn't normal, especially for someone who had collapsed to the ground.  He shook with disbelief, looking at her face with tears in his eyes.  Not his Mary Jane, no, not her.  It just wasn't possible.  He lowered his head placing his forehead against hers trying to hold his trembling to a minimum.  He could hear hushed voices talking all around as he clutched Mary Jane close to him.  He was dreaming, in a minute he would wake up in his bed covered in sweat knowing that this was a complete nightmare and in having learned that it would be like a lesson to him.  But even after his opened his eyes again, her cold body was still in his arms, people scrambling around the stage dialing for an ambulance.

            "Hey kid.  Put her down, the ambulance will be here soon."  Someone said.  Yet Peter didn't care, he continued to hold her in his arms, a sense of blind anger entering him.  He could no longer see anything but red, his heart pounding faster, hearing his blood pressure build as he began to breathe ever so hard.  He stood up with Mary Jane in his arms clutching her close to his chest.  His teeth were gritted tightly as he looked around the theater.  Everyone was looking at him with horrified expressions on their face, probably not believing the anger that was radiating out of Peter.  Harry climbed onto the stage also not believing that Mary Jane was…dead.  He tried to come close but Peter only stepped aside of him walking down the steps that had led up to the stage, towards the door outside.  He didn't care that people followed closely behind him, all he wanted to do was to get her to a hospital so he could hear the doctor say that it was a mistake, that she would be fine and just needed some rest.  He'd be damned if another person he loved in his life would die.  He could no longer think, all he knew was that he was going to take her someplace safe and then find out who did this to her and rip him to shreds!

          "Peter! Peter, let the paramedics take care of this.  They know what they are doing!"  Aunt May called from way behind him, he didn't know how far away he was, and he couldn't give a rats ass about it.  Soon he found himself on Bakers Street right by the Hospital, he kicked the doors open with a swift movement of his foot walking up to the front desk.

      "I need a doctor!" He yelled looking down at Mary Jane's pale face then up at a nurse who only looked at him like he was kid who walked in demanding that he was given his lollypop in exchange for going for a checkup.  He slammed a palm down on the counter violently. "Don't you understand English?! Get me a damn doctor!  It's an emergency!" He yelled louder.  The young nurse nodded with a nervous gulp and rushed out of the waiting room trying to find a doctor that wasn't busy.  Quickly the nurse came back with a gurney followed by a doctor taking Mary Jane from him.  He followed closely behind them as they took her into one of their rooms, the doctor turned around pressing a hand onto his shoulder stopping him.

        "Son, you better let us take it from here.  We'll let you know if anything changes."  He then turned his back and shut the door in Peter's face.  Clenching his fists he turned sharply and ran out of the hospital.  He kept running until he reached an alleyway, removing his clothing so he could change to Spider-man.  Whoever did this to her would pay, and suffer 10 times worse than she did.  Yet he wasn't ready to leave, he shot more strands of web off the side of the building catapulting him back into the air towards the hospital windows.  He wanted to find MJ's room and perch himself outside her window to hear what the doctors were talking about.  Once night fell he would be back out on the streets searching for the creep that did this.  Only one image came to mind that could have done this to her.  Clinging to the wall outside his window he listened closely to the doctors inside.  They seemed to be very puzzled by what had happened.

      "Sir, what do you make of this?" A nurse asked while studying MJ.

      "Some of the witnesses said that a light rack crashed onto the stage creating some kind of odd smoke that affected some of the actors.  After the police are done confiscating it I want you to bring it down to the lab and examine some of the chemicals.  It may be related to this young woman's incidental death…" The doctor said slowly.  "I want you to keep the monitors on and connected to her, however.  Just in case, I'm not exactly sure if she is… "all" dead."

          " 'All' dead?  I'm not sure I understand, doctor."

        "In time you will.  Just keep monitoring her every half hour.  We're not going to send someone back to the morgue that we aren't completely sure is really dead or not."

_        "She's not dead… Mary Jane is stronger than you think, but whoever did this to her will end up in her place, in a much, much, worse condition than she."_

_*                                                                    *                                    *                      *_

       "You son of a bitch!  I never gave you permission to do this!" Harry Osborn yelled walking to the lab of OsCorp, knocking over a glass beaker with his rage.  "You killed her, you're just like him but you killed her!" Harry yelled finding Quentin working on one of his projects.  He looked up slowly in mid-movement glaring at Harry's unbridled anger, which was directed at him.  He sat down his blowtorch next to the odd looking jetpack he was working at and stared at Harry squarely in the eye. His blue eyes intense with irritation, thinking that Harry was just a pawn that would need to be removed once his task with killing Spider-man was done and over.

  "She isn't dead, Osborn.  You think I'm going to start killing people this early in the game? No, she isn't quite dead."  He said pulling a safety mask back onto his face as he lifted the blowtorch.

"Then what the hell is going on?!" He demanded sick of letting Mysterio call all the shots.  "Tell me what you did to her?  Why did you even do it?!!"  Harry said getting right into his face.  Quentin narrowed his eyes vehemently raising the blowtorch only a few inches from Harry's face.

  "We created a formula, yes we, as in you, me, our team of scientists.  Mixed with certain chemical ingredients it creates a sort of…how shall I say it?  Bacteria, ah yes that's it. Lets just say that the light incident was no accident."

  "How was no one else affected by it then?"

       "Easy, I'm not ready to go any farther yet.  The chemicals designed were mixed in with the girl's blood, say something like a simple cut by a thorn.  The bacteria acts like a type of disease shutting down all the systems of the human body quickly, so quickly that the body doesn't go into death immediately.  No it takes a certain amount of time for the body and mind to shut down completely.  It creates a sort of…visual death, rather hard to explain.  Think _Romeo and Juliet_; the priest gives her something that fakes her death.  She is cold to the touch, she doesn't breathe, she has no pulse, but one in reality here, this girl will not return to the world of the living unless she is administered proper treatment.  As to the answer of your question of why, the right place at the right time really.  It didn't matter if she meant anything to him or not, she just happened to be one of the women that he saved last night.  I knew I could see something between the two, but that didn't really matter.  She will be one victim of the many."  He said not really caring if he made sense or not.  He turned back to making the finishing touches on the pack.  Harry didn't like his answer at any length and grabbed the blowtorch out of his hand glaring at him.

    "You work for me, Beck!  I don't care about the significance, you fix this and you fix it now.  Not Mary Jane!  I'm not going to let you hurt her like this."  Harry growled, grabbing the man by the collar of his suit.  Something seemed to snap inside of Quentin as Harry tried manhandling him.  He'd be damned if he let a kid push him around.  Who was he to mess with his plans?

         "You will let go of me now." Quentin said in a calm commanding tone.

"Huh?" Came a confused sound from Harry as he did as he said without a thought.  Quentin smiled as he worked his tricks.  They didn't call him Mysterio for nothing; he had a few tricks up his sleeves, which could include hypnosis. 

         "You're going to go along with my plan, and you will provide me with everything I ask for.  You got it?" He said keeping eye contact with Harry the whole time.  Harry just looked back with empty eyes; his mouth gaped open as he nodded in compliance.  "Go and retrieve me a photograph of Spider-man as well as a sample of his webbing. Also when you go to class tomorrow morning, stop by the dear Doctor's lab and nab me some more hologram crystals."  He said, finishing with Harry, turning his back and going back to the jetpack.  "That'll be all, Harry." He said dismissing him.

"Yes, sir." Harry replied in a monotone voice walking away silently.

*       *                                                           *            *          *          *          *

         He'd gotten there before the police could squander the remains of the lights.  Certainly enough there were chemical residue left along the glass, which he rushed to the college lab.  It was part of what could affect Mary Jane but there was just another piece of the puzzle missing, it didn't add up alone.         Before anyone noticed he dropped the remaining evidence off at the hospital's lab so they for themselves to could get an idea of what they were looking for.  He wanted to check in on Mary Jane just to see her but with cops surrounding the entrance and inside of the room he decided to come back at a later time.  At this moment he was going to find the perp that did this.  Maybe even kill him, well he wished he could do that anyways.  At was very dark out by the time Spider-man swung out into the city.  He had no idea how he would find him but somehow he would.  He wouldn't give up that night until he found some sort of lead on finding the maniac.  Yet… something happened that caught him off guard just slightly; his webbing was cut in half sending him flying towards the street in panic, his spider-sense didn't go off                                                    and he landed on thick pavement rolling forward.  He looked up, everything seeming woozy and the city's streets had disappeared changing into a building's rooftop.  Spider-man looked around confused, _what the hell was going on?!  _Slowly he stood up looking around for anything he recognized.  It looked like a regular rooftop to him, not too familiar to be able to pick out from anywhere, but normal.  Then his spider-sense finally went off like a buzzer causing him to hold his head in utter annoyance.  He leapt out of the way just in time as the figure from the other night flew onto the rooftop facing him.  Immediately without thinking he walked up to the man seizing him by the night and raising him off the pavement.

         "Who the hell are you?!" Spider-man demanded in an unexpected yell.  He could feel his face grow red from under the mask.  Here came another asshole thinking that he should be granted the power to choose who should live and who should die.  This one thought that Mary Jane should die, so if he didn't get any answers he would die by his hands.  Spider-man gripped tighter hearing a slightly snap from the man's collarbone.  That would be impossible though, the man wouldn't be laughing if his collarbone had just been snapped.  

      Sure enough in spider-man's grasp, he was laughing, chortling almost in amusement by his new foe's anguish.  It was just the beginning for the super-hero's pain and suffering.

Spider-man's anger only grew seeing this sicko grow merry in other people's pain.  Because of him he might not see Mary Jane again.  He may never hold her in his arms while one day telling her that he really did love her from the beginning and just wanted to protect her.  He would never see her become the star that she was always destined to be, or to tell her one day what haunting lie that he had to keep from everyone…

         "Spider-man, you really are a weak fool."  He said with an amused laugh.  Spider-man tried to tighten his grip on him but he evaporated into fog.  Becoming another useless hologram, but hearing his voice from somewhere else gave him the idea that the real one wasn't far away.  Just across the way another one stood looking out at Spider-man.  The real one kept a type of "force-field" on him to protect him from Spider-man's webbing and brutal blows if he ever came near.  "You still belong to humanity no matter how hard you try to escape it.  You will always be apart of them because you share their emotions.  Your problem is that you care.  If you didn't care then you would actually survive and you wouldn't suffer through such misery."

         "If you don't tell me what you did to her, you're going to be going through much more misery than you'll ever comprehend!"  Spider-man yelled arching his shoulders in pure hatred.

"Harming me will only accelerate her death.  Yes, she's not dead, not yet anyways.  She lies there in her bed like a fairytale dream in sleep.  But if she's not reached in time then she will die like nature tends." He said threatening him.  Spider-man shot his web out at Mysterio in fury trying to shut the idiot up.  His web only bounced off him and fell to the ground uselessly.  "Tsk, tsk, tsk, spider-man.  So aggressive are we.  Fine then, you'll just have to talk to Mysterio when you've calmed down."  He said powering his jetpack and disappearing into the air.

         "No! Come back! Come back here!" Spider-man screamed as the figure vanished in the dark clouds.  Even after Mysterio was gone Spider-man glared up at the sky almost in tears with as another scream of anger erupted from his lungs.  After moments of silence he finally hung his head in defeat.  He was no closer to saving Mary Jane than from when she was first taken to the hospital.  He turned back around knowing that now he wanted to be at her side more than anything.  Within just seconds he was back up into the air moving faster than he had in a long time.  He was at her window sill before he knee it, looking in on a darkened room only hearing a familiar hum of her monitor beating the suction sound for her life support.  Since her room was 3 stories up they didn't think twice about leaving the window open a little.  He climbed inside and walked over to the door.  Opening it just a crack he checked outside for any guards nearby.  There appeared to be none around so he closed the door and returned near her.  Gazing down on M.J. he could only feel his heart tear as he watched her lie there helplessly, without even the power to breathe on her own.  He sunk to his knees helplessly as he took one of her icy hands into his and rested his face on her bed.  From there he gave silent vigil over her, to protect her the best he could and to only slink away once morning had risen again.

*       *                                                             *                      *                      *

**A/N: **As a huge Mary Jane fan I could never really kill her off.  What kind of fan would I be?  No this is apart of my plan scheme into making it a good story or hope to be doing that.  Therefore what is going to happen with this story will be a mystery, but I am working hard on this I promise.  Thankyou again for your awesome reviews, and I love everyone's Peter/M.J. stories that they've written 


	8. Still Helpless

*A/N* I apologize in ahead of time for not updating any of my writing but Internet has been out and we currently only have one computer in the household that has the games on it or even running Internet. My computer. Grr. So updating my writing is a little hard lately.  Anyways here comes my next chapter and thank you tremendously for the beautiful and kick ass reviews that you all have given me.  I am in your debt to try and provide some entertaining writing here and thank you for boosting my writing ego hehe.    

Also I just rented Spider-man the video game and was very very happy that Tobey Maguire does the voice of Spider-man for this. Yaya.

Spider-man and Mysterio were dueling it out on one of New York's many rooftops.  There were no force fields or hologram images that could keep Spider-man from ripping his enemy limb from limb.  Mysterio kept up a good battle however dodging a few punches thrown by Spider-man with great agility and delivered a few good punches himself; none that would throw spider-man across the way, but enough to get Spider-man to reconsider Mysterio's strength.  Fury had overtaken Spider-man's moves, he no longer thought rationally as he fought him, while Mysterio seemed to fight with a sense of revenge of his own which Spider-man didn't have a single clue about.  Spider-man kicked out at Mysterio's midsection hitting him squarely in the gut as hard as he could.  Mysterio teetered back in pain with a mere grunt clenching his fist and punching out at Spider-man's chest connecting his hit painfully watching Spider-man fall with a hand over the spot that Mysterio hit.  He hadn't heard the blades slice into his skin as he looked down at the spot that matched his spider suit and began to grow.  He whimpered getting to his feet swaying a little.

            "Pretty soon you'll get the same look on your face that, that pretty little actress got before she went out cold."  Mysterio hissed grabbing Spider-man by the throat and lifting him into the air.

Shaking with anger Spider-man managed to whisper coldly to him, "Not if I can help it.  You'll be pushing up daisies long before I go."  With that Spider-man balled his fist up and rammed it into Mysterio's dome breaking the glass.  Mysterio dropped Spider-man as he staggered and fell onto his back.  Flipping to his feet Spider-man leapt and landed beside Mysterio grabbing him by **his** throat to hold him still and see who was the cause of all the pain, but seeing who he was made Spider-man stumble back in wonderment and shock.  His best friend **Harry Osborn** stared back up at him from under the dome with a demented smile on his face…

            "Ahh!" Peter Parker yelled waking up from his nightmare, sitting at his desk in class.  Slowly his classmates turned at looked at him oddly, his lab professor glaring at him from the front of the room having stopped writing a formula on the whiteboard.  

"And that is why class, you don't go to bed at four in the morning and show up for an eight 'o clock lab that day.  Thank you Mr. Parker for demonstrating my point."  The Lab professor said keeping his glare on Peter.  Peter flushed embarrassed that he was caught sleeping in class, and the professor turned back to finishing his formula on the whiteboard.  Peter wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve thanking God that it was just a dream and not reality.  He didn't know what he would do if his best friend was Mysterio or someone planning to kill him.  Well, Spider-man.  His professor was right though; Peter didn't go to bed until four that morning because that was the time he got back from the hospital.  He didn't feel right to leave Mary Jane alone in her room unprotected and when fatigue hit in he decided that she should be fine when the guard switched backed to watching outside her room.  He would visit her again soon, his Aunt was going to see her that afternoon and he also heard that Harry stopped by to look in on her. He would come back that in the evening as Spider-man to sit at her side again protecting her.  He would probably sit there and think up all the ways he could have saved her from this ever happening.  That's all he did really, go through scenarios in his head driving himself crazy.  Class ended and Peter grabbed his books leaving the class.  As he was going out the door someone ran into him awfully hard.  It had no effect on throwing Peter into the wall but it did draw his attention.  '_Now just who has that bad of an attitude today?'_  He asked himself as he glanced over his shoulder as he left.  Harry Osborn… _'That's odd, he didn't take lab this semester, what is he doing in here for?' _Only Peter didn't have time to question this, he had to drop his photos off at The Bugle, grab something to eat, then do a patrol out on the streets for awhile. Yup, his schedule was pretty much filled up to a "T" rather than giving him some slack to play detective and see what his best friend and roommate was up to.  He watched Harry approach his professor and speak to him in a hushed tone.  Peter shrugged guessing that he planned on taking the class sometime and left the class going to work.

*                      *                                  *                                  *

            "Crap!  Parker, why do you keep on bringing me crap to put on my front page?!" J.J. yelled slamming the photos down on his desk.  Peter looked at him in shock, the photos he took of Spider-man at the carnival.  Some of the shots were pretty good, he should say so himself, and would be very difficult to angle for any normal photographer to shoot.  He remembered that he had two photos he had forgotten to give to J.J.  Well forgotten, didn't plan on, same thing.  He reached into his book bag and placed two more photos on the table. One of Spider-man saving Felicia Hardy from the tracks in the fire and the other was him and Mysterio in a heated conversation.  If J.J. had posted the picture of Spider-man saving Felicia and Mary Jane had seen it (if she was..awake that that time) she would be hurt.  The one with him and Mysterio would more than likely be posted on the front page entitled: "Spider-man and Mysterio plan New York's demise" or some title that would put him down. J.J. picked up the photos with a smug smile on his face.  He leaned over to the clear glass window of his office knocking on it to get his secretary's attention.  "Run this one on page one, and move this one to page four. Got it?!" He shouted loud enough for her to hear him through the glass.  She nodded directing someone to go in and get the photos to arrange them for the story.  Peter cleared his throat uncomfortably deciding to speak up.

            "Uhh…sir?  What's the title going to read?" He asked already having an idea.

"Spider-man and new villain conspire against New York."  He said holding up imaginary titles with a grin on his face, his cigar sticking out of the side of his mouth.  Peter lowered his head; J.J. very well knew that Spider-man wasn't the menace that he made him out to be.  Spider-man even saved J.J.'s life and that was the gratitude he showed?  

            "Sir, Spider-man was saving people's lives at Coney Island.  Dome-head was the one who was trying to harm the people!"  Peter exclaimed, knowing that he shouldn't be trying to stand up to his boss.  J.J. glared at Peter setting his hands on the desk.

"You are the photographer.  You take the pictures and give them to me; I pay you for them, that's it.  You don't get say over what the story says or what the headlines read.  You have a problem with it, then you can take your photos to another paper."  He said even-tempered.  Peter was quiet and knew that what J.J. said was true.  Peter nodded solemnly and apologized to J.J.  He'd sacrifice his pride so he could get paid that week and pay the rent.  He stood up and left J.J's office before he was ordered out.  With a glance all about him Peter darted to the nearest alleyway changing into his Spider-man costume.  Leaving his clothes in the closet at his work had almost got him caught once.  J.J. had once asked him if he was running around New York naked while holding up a pair of pants he found of Peter's in the closet.  Somehow Peter managed to get himself out of that one by saying that he had to change into a suit for one of his college field trips they had, and only had enough time to change at the office and leave, except he didn't have any place to put his clothes at.  That tided J.J. over for the time being but he knew he could no longer hide his clothes in the office.  

Moving through the air now he focused his mind on doing a patrol of the city for a few hours then grabbing something to eat before heading to the hospital.

  *                    *                      *                      *                      *

He watched her closely under the moonlight, the light enhanced her beauty tenfold, her hair looking more red than ever, her lips a soft pink, while her skin was pale, reminding him of a porcelain doll.  Her body was still like it had been lately but he knew she was still alive.  Just wasn't sure how long she'd be alive for.  He took her cold icy hand into his, looking at her and gulping back the lump that was forming in his throat.  His headache had begun and he knew he was holding back tears.  He stood, as Spider-man and grabbed the chair near the door, propping it under the door handle at a certain angle so that no one would be able to move it.  It was too dark for anyone to be able to see inside of the room as well so he removed his mask tossing it onto the foot of the bed.  He walked back over to her side looking down at her beautiful face.  He cradled her chin in his hand as he placed his lips against her icy skin.  He pulled his face back only an inch wanting to kiss her lips and see her open her eyes and smile up at him.  He knew it wouldn't happen therefore he wouldn't put his emotions that deep on the line.  He slowly climbed onto the bed beside her, pulling her body into his arms as he rested his head against hers looking at her.  "This happened to her…and this time he could say not because of him.  Not because of him intentionally, he found out that this was planned for any person that was in the way at the time.  She could have been with Peter at the time and this might not have happened.  It could have been anyone.  But it wasn't just anyone, it happened to M.J., someone who happened to catch the lot of rotten apples lately.  So many thoughts ran through his mind, he had begun to think that maybe he could protect her better if he was with her rather than if she wasn't with him.  It was a big mess up inside his mind right now; he didn't know what he could have done in the past to prevent this.  All he knew though that the love of his life could die in a matter of time if he didn't get his act together and find Mysterio.  He stroked her cheek sucking in a deep breath again as he held her cold body against his.  _'Maybe I can warm her, and it could help in her recovery.' _He thought naively.  He closed his eyes snuggling his body against hers imagining that she would wake up and roll over sliding her arms around his waist and whispering into his ear.  "I love you,Tiger."  He'd love to hear her say that to him.

            "Hey you hear what they are broadcasting all over the news?"  A guard said from outside.  Peter jerked his head up from the bed overhearing one of the guards from outside.

"No, but it seems a lot of people are panicking.  What's going on?"  The other one asked sipping his coffee.

"The news just said that Spider-man is robbing the Jeweler's Store.  Just nabbed a diamond the size of a baseball and is seen heading on over to the Museum."  The guard said astounded.  Peter narrowed his eyes not believing what he just heard.  How could Spider-man have broken into the jeweler's store when he was lying right here beside M.J.?  Slowly he slid off the bed to his feet grabbing for his mask.  He slipped it on with a frown.  Someone was trying to frame him, but how was it possible to frame spider-man?  Removing the chair from the door Spider-man took one last glance at Mary Jane before he was out the window in a flash ready to stop whatever was trying to frame him…

**         *** ***   *** **            **            **            **            **                    **

**A/N**: Ok sorry if this part was rushed and or doesn't seem long enough.  But that's where it really does need to end for this chapter. Hope it was good =)


	9. I hate Imposters

            **A/N**: Hi it's me again sorry for the lack up quick updates again but here is the next chapter.  I hope you enjoy and thank you once again for the wonderful reviews.  You all rule. I really, really want to see Spider-man again.  I've only gotten to see it twice and at the moment I would only be able to go in town to the theater.  We have one movie a week playing and right now..they are having that "Disney Cartoon movie" playing for 2 weeks! **Cries** Horrible ppl!  Ok anyways as always I do not own any of the characters belonging to marvel, and I do not own anything from Spider-man the Movie either.

**

The trail the poser left behind wasn't too difficult to follow.  There were webbing strands all over the walls and shattered glass trailing the sidewalks.  He examined the webbing that was remaining, it was almost identical but it wasn't even nearly as strong as the authentic.  This was created or replicated probably by someone who had talent in chemistry or at least knew what he or she was doing.  He now swung out into the lower streets seeing himself or Spider-man running on the cement with a sack clenched tightly in his fist.  The real Spider-man kept on web slinging, it was the fastest use of transportation possible and he could see people pointing at both of the Spider-men yelling "What?! Two of 'em? That's impossible!"

            "One of them must be a phony!"

"But which one?!"

            The remarks came more and more as he passed by them; he no longer listened to them as he only focused on catching the fleeing poser that was only a few feet ahead of him now.  The other spider-man glanced over his shoulder at him; dropping his bag he jerked around and shot his own webbing at him.  It caught the real spider-man off guard causing him to be jerked from his webbing and colliding into the cement with a loud thud.  The phony grabbed his sack, saluted Spider-man and took off running again.  Spider-man groaned, as he broke free of the less-than-steel webbing.  He could feel the pain in his knees where he had pounded into the cement.  It was odd that he was once again caught off guard.  Perhaps he should just focus on catching the bad guy rather than anything else.  _'The guards said he was heading to the Museum…hopefully I can get there before he hurts any civilians.."_ he thought to himself.  He launched himself onto the wall beside him and shot a thick strand of gossamer webbing pulling himself into the air.

            "Mommy is that the good Spider-man?" A little boy asked as he was pulling away.  His mother began to move her son along quickly.

"Don't point Billy.  Get a real job you freak!"  The woman yelled at Spider-man.  Spider-man looked down with a flinch.  He shouldn't let the public's crude remarks get to him.

            "Already got one lady, and I intend to keep it." He said cheerfully before disappearing around the corner.

Spider-man landed on the roof of the museum and crawled across the tiles to the skylight to look in on the scene.  Civilians were on the ground, most were crouched down as if being held hostage, a couple seemed injured with a few people tending to them.  Guards were hung up on the wall in Spider-man's trademark cocoon of web while the fake Spider-man was breaking into the glass cases stealing whatever was in sight.  It felt like a trap to him, nothing was ever that easy and posers do not begin to crack open every glass case that is near them.  Spider-man glanced about him in caution, his spider-sense was not going crazy, and everything seemed normal, quiet.  Maybe it was too quiet?  He wondered how he would get inside while the front door was being heavily watched and all the windows were more than likely locked.  He positioned himself over the skylight slightly observing the inside for a place to get in.  He didn't notice that he casted a light shadow over the ground catching the poser's immediate attention.  Spider-man's spider-sense blared for only a moment before he found himself falling through the glass of the skylight and landing on the ground.  He picked up a large stone bigger than the size of his fist. It was an opal, from one of the glass cases more than likely.  He walked over to a shattered case putting the opal inside, turning around to look for the phony that threw it at him.  He wasn't anywhere in sight so Spider-man decided to take advantage of the situation.  Running over to the doors he shredded the webbing that held them tightly in place.

            "Everyone if you please direct your attention over to the door," he spoke as if being a tour guide for the museum. "You'll see that you are now free to run, in orderly fashion, out of the museum and let Spider-man handle the bad guy."  The people had already begun to get to their feet and run out the door by the time he told them to run.  He leapt up onto the wall to keep from being trampled.  The guards had already been let down he observed as he climbed back down to the tiled floor.  

His spider-sense began to blare in the back of his mind as the other Spider-man leapt off the balcony above him, straight for his head.  Spider-man spun around looking up as the imposter dove at him mindlessly, he grabbed at his legs before impact and tossed him over his shoulder.  The fake Spider-man collided into the marbled water-fountain behind them.  Spider-man balled his fists running over to him.  He was sick and tired of people trying to drag his name down into the dirt, all he wanted to do was to make the city safe and keep it that way.  He grabbed the imposter wall-crawler and dragged him out of the fountain and onto the tile.  The imposter leapt to his feet in a single motion and caught Spider-man with a hit to the chest; he then popped a foot up into his face hitting him in the chin.  Spider-man grunted as his head jerked back violently, he arched his back and dodged the next blow that came towards him.  He twisted his body and lunged at the other man tackling him to the ground.  He delivered a few punches into the imposter and blinked surprised in what he felt.  When his fist impacted with the body of the other spider-man it didn't feel human, he felt like he was hitting metal or granite.  With a frown he removed the mask of the imposter below him, revealing some sort of robot.  "That's impossible…the one I was chasing down the street was human." He said out loud to himself.  The museum filled with a deep rumbling of laughter, Mysterio's laughter.

            "How perceptive Spider-man, you never cease to surprise me."

  Spider-man stood up clenching his fists in anger.  He was sick of all these games Mysterio played.  The robot began to get back up to attack Spider-man again; he looked down at the robot in the corner of his eye and snapped his foot at its head, crushing it by impact.  "Get out from behind that curtain, Wizard!" he said using a quote from "_Wizard of Oz"_

As if on cue, Mysterio appeared on the balcony overlooking the museum and looked down on Spider-man.

            "There is no fooling you is there? You are right; the one you were chasing from the jeweler's was human.  But who could it possibly have been?" He said in a teasing tone as if trying to get Spider-man to think on it.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

            Already having gotten his escape the fake Spider-man lifted up his mask from the backseat of the car that was already on its way back to the office. Harry Osborn looked at his reflection from the mirror, the mask still on his head, not fully removed.  His heart was beating fast from the excitement of what he had just done: broken into a jeweler's stealing everything he could grab there, running from Spider-man while also shooting his companies own version of his webbing and catching him off guard, then running to the museum and seeing everyone cower in fear of him.  No one would be sure of Spider-man now, he would finally be seen for the fraud he was.  He pulled off his right glove looking at the electronic web-shooter they designed, marveling at its complex design.  In his other hand he held a diamond the size of a baseball that he did take from the museum.  It wasn't that he was running out of financial resources, this diamond would provide other resources to the Osborn company aiding in their research and technology development that would have normally taken years to achieve.

He leaned back in his seat with a sigh of relaxation.  He had outsmarted Spider-man, which he believed wasn't too hard to do, and gotten away clean with his prize.  The Bentley's window rolled down, his chauffeur looking in the review mirror at Harry.

            "Any specific destination, Mr. Osborn?"

Harry thought to himself where he would want to be right now after this event, there was only one person he wanted to see right now.

            "Take me to the hospital, I want to see Mary Jane."  He said in a quiet tone.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

            Felicia Hardy looked down at the woman lying in the bed that she had considered to be a rival of hers.  She looked so weak and helpless and Felicia couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt inside.  She never really hated Mary Jane, deep down…she was jealous of certain things that Mary Jane had.  In the beginning when they met at the commercial Felicia could have been nice and hospitable since it was Mary Jane's first commercial try out but she couldn't bring herself to do even that.  She smiled weakly to herself as she pictured them back at the commercial years ago, changing her attitude and being friendly to Mary Jane.  She pictured her and Mary Jane growing up being good friends and happy.  That's what Mary Jane had that Felicia was jealous of…real friends.  Sure Felicia grew up rich, going to the best schools, shopping at the best places but she never had a real friend to be able to talk to.  She only had people that pretended to be her friend or one's that would act like they were listening when they'd really be marveling at Felicia's wonderful things waiting the moment that Felicia would give them some, users.  Seeing how Mary Jane was around other people she knew that if things had been different her and MJ could have been really good friends.  She brushed a forelock of red hair away from Mary Jane's forehead looking at her with sadness.

            "I'm sorry this happened, Watson.  You don't seem like the type of person that would deserve this type of treatment.  You're always going out of your way for other people and then some sicko goes and hurts you.  I am sorry for how I've always treated you too, you were nice to me and I was always rude to you in return.  I just couldn't understand how you could be so nice to everyone, you rarely got mad at other people and I didn't like that.  It made me feel like you were better than everyone else and knew it and I couldn't stand that.  But it isn't my place to judge you and I know that.  So I'm really sorry.  When you…if… you get out of this predicament…I want to start over.  I want us to be friends and to try to understand each other.  I'm not always the bitch I come off to be.  I'm not a rich snob girl; I'd like to think myself as an ordinary person deep down inside that I'm just waiting for someone to get to know.  I'm lonely and in need of a real friend.  Well I need to get going Mary Jane."  Felicia got up from her chair not knowing what else she would say to her.  Mary Jane couldn't speak back to her or give any facial expression to let her know what she was feeling.  Mary Jane couldn't even hear what she was saying.  Felicia really meant what she had said about wanting to start over and become friends with Mary Jane but if MJ did ever come out of…the coma like state she wondered if she could get herself to do that.  Mary Jane probably wouldn't forgive her, not that she didn't really blame her but it would make her infuriated.  

She grabbed her purse off the end of the bed and smoothed back her honey-blonde hair.  She gave a half-smile at Mary Jane.

            "Perk up, Watson.  You still have a lot of time left to live the glorious life you want."  She then headed to the door and shrieked as she collided into someone.  She was knocked onto the ground while the oaf that knocked her down remained standing.  "Manners! Manners! You could at least help me back up!" She said angrily, she looked up and saw Harry Osborn bending down and grabbing her arm to lift her back up.  He looked disappointed to have run into her that day.  "Sheesh Osborn.  Like you couldn't look any more pissed off from seeing me today."  Felicia said sarcastically.  Harry adjusted his glasses slightly looking at her with no expression.

            "Sorry Felicia, I was just having a good day until I ran into you."  He said brushing past her.  Felicia frowned not having a comeback to say to him.  Gritting her teeth she flipped her hair behind her shoulder and made her way out mentally grumbling Harry's rudeness to herself.

*                      *                                                                      *                                                                      *

            "Where did he go?!"  Spider-man snapped looking around himself and back up at Mysterio, referring to the Spider-man imposter.  Mysterio just laughed, bracing his hands on the balcony's railing and looking down on him with a smirk hidden under the dome.

"Why should it matter?  You should be worrying about yourself and not about something as less complicated as a poser trying to drag your name down in the mud.  If you remain calm maybe I'll give you the answers to your question about the young girl that was infected at the theater." He laughed.  Spider-man growled at him in response.  Referring Mary Jane as "young girl" with no care at all.  The psycho really didn't care at all what happened to anyone.

"It would also help the other citizens that were infected earlier this afternoon as well." He said resting a gloved finger against the side of his dome.  He could sense the rage building up inside Spider-man.  _"That's it, insect.  Let your rage build.  That's what I want."_ He thought to himself.

            "You're bluffing!" Spider-man said in disbelief.  He hadn't heard a word of anyone else being infected by Mysterio's little drug.  It had to be a trick.

"Oh am I?  I've improved it; the effects shouldn't appear until later tonight.  Boom!  Then the bodies will hit the floor!"  He laughed insanely.  "The hospital will have a real enigma on their hands, and there's nothing they can do about it.  Anyone who came into contact with the Spider-man in here is all infected.  Ooh, and you let them out?  Bad spider, very bad." He said in a mocking tone as he looked to the door.  Spider-man was frozen in place, his mind just taking in slowly all of what Mysterio said.  Somehow he knew he wasn't lying and now because of Spider-man the hostages that had been there were now out loose in the city soon to be in the same condition as Mary Jane was.

            "Tell me what I need to do then." He said reluctantly looking up at Mysterio.  This had to be the worst idea he could have come up with yet. Do as the bad guy said?  Crazy, Spider-man was absolutely crazy, but he knew that he had no choice.

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**A/N**: Good? Bad? Let me know with a review? Thank you. :D


	10. When you're gone

            **A/N**: Pardon with my updates again, I'm kind of going through something at the moment and don't really have someone to talk to about it.  So I'm drinking herbal tea (which I only do when I'm upset sad to say) listening to Final Fantasy VI music (lol) and writing some of this chapter.  I'm kind of a wreck emotionally and I apologize if it shows up in my writing.  I checked my reviews and holy shizzo I never expected to reach 122.  My eyeballs would be popping from my sockets if it were possible so I thank you. If only I could get the fic officially published and paid for it. That'd be a wonderful job, writing fanfics for Spider-man and everything else I liked.  Ok ok getting off that here's my next chapter and for **DISCLAIMER** : I don't know anything but this story. I also don't own The Cranberries song "When you're gone", Oh and I've been wanting to place my very own adopted quote for a while in my fanfic beginning. Hehe its from the cartoon I saved this on wav.

**Storm:** "Power of lightning strike again!"

**Spider-man**: "Um power of web shooters get real sticky!"

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      

            Harry smoothed back a few untamed locks of his hair as he refreshed Mary Jane's vase of flowers.  He had bought her a bouquet of white roses accompanied with baby's breath, her favorite.  Perhaps he bought her the flowers out of guilt, knowing that it was mainly his fault that she was lying there in that bed on the brink of life or death.  Even after their breakup he still cared about her deeply.  Maybe even loved her, he wasn't sure of it though.  She was a beautiful woman who probably confused every single guy that made any contact with her.  When he dated Mary Jane and held her in his arms he could envision himself with her in the future.  He would have proposed to her, gotten her the biggest diamond ring he could find and give her everything her heart desired.  Well almost everything, she liked Spider-man, which made Harry's blood boil.  He saves her life and then she becomes infatuated with him.  Soon Spider-man wouldn't exist anymore and with Peter trying to keep away from Mary Jane, Harry would have another shot to be with Mary Jane.  When she would leave the hospital that is.  Harry rested a hand on the back of his neck feeling guilty.  He was tired of keeping it all to himself and not being able to talk to someone.

            "M.J., there's something I need to tell you." He said softly.  The door was shut, and no one seemed to be around.  Just to be able to say it would make him feel better, it wasn't as if she could really hear him.  "It's my fault this happened to you, and I'm sorry.  If I knew what he was up to I would have made sure it didn't happen to you.  I guess since he likes to save you, that bastard, that you would be the next target or bait that would trap Spider-man.  It actually didn't matter on the person, he chose you at random.  Right now, and he doesn't know it, Spider-man is getting caught in a bigger trap than he'd ever imagine.  Finally, once he's dead, everything can return back to normal, I'd finally have my revenge.  Wouldn't that be nice?"  He asked the thin air, not really asking it to M.J., with a smile on his face.  He looked down at her and immediately scooted his chair back in surprise.  Her once peaceful expression on her face was changed to a grimace, or frown.  Her features were tight, her brows furrowed.  He grabbed her right wrist trying to feel for a pulse, after moments of waiting and feeling nothing he released her.  "She heard me," he spoke to himself out loud.  "But that's impossible…right?"  He stood up at her bedside looking down at her.  His cold eyes were narrowed as he looked down on her, then he got an idea.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

            Mysterio glared down at what used to be New York's most prized possession, super-hero Spider-man.  The man now seemed weak and pathetic, agreeing almost to anything to save the lives of the New Yorkers who'd been infected.  This was what Mysterio had been intending for in the beginning.  Trap Spider-man into a position where he would have no choice but to let Mysterio run the show.  He could see the man restrain himself as he stood looking up at Mysterio.  He would pay god knows what to see any emotional expression on Spider-man's face.

            "I'm waiting." Spider-man said calmly, clenching and unclenching his fists as he stood.  Mysterio studied him wondering if Spider-man felt more accustomed to being crouched on a wall rather than standing to his full height, a cartoonish thought appeared in his mind of a large flyswatter or shoe coming down and smashing the wall-crawler.  He chuckled to himself.  He turned his back to Spider-man and slowly ascended down the steps of the balcony and over towards Spider-man.  He stopped five feet away, not able to hold back the grin that overtook his mouth.

"Are we actually patient this time?  I'm not seeing any pre-mature anger, I thoroughly disappointed."  He said taunting him as he circled the masked hero.  He wanted the crusader to turn around and try to deck him so he could give another reason to drag out the punishment of the infected New York citizens.  He very well thought that they deserved it, all of them, it didn't matter who exactly got affected along the way.  He also had a list of the very people who had him thrown in prison but he didn't plan on collecting on the list until he had Spider-man's back turned and busy to save the people that would soon be hospitalized.

            "I'm not here to impress you chrome-dome.  You were offering a chance for me to help the people that were infected by your damn imposter back there and I'm waiting.  If not I'll send you right off to prison after I pound you to the State Penitentiary myself!" He said about ready to grab him by the throat and lift him off the ground.  Mysterio laughed watching him, he was awfully close to snapping, that's what he wanted if he couldn't defeat Spider-man physically. If he shattered him mentally, it would have been a challenge that no other could have done except Mysterio.  Sirens began to sound far off from them drawing his attention back out to the door. Neither one of them wanted to be around when the cops showed up, Spider-man looked over at Mysterio waiting for him to say something.  Mysterio drew his long purple cloak over his shoulder not caring to look at Spider-man.

"Tomorrow night at the Brooklyn Bridge, meet me at one of the tops and we'll discuss you serving your purpose to save those hostages."  He said turning away.

            "What about the one in the hospital?!" Spider-man snapped ready to grab him.

"Oh her…yes…but she's a special case.  Hers won't be so easy since she's been out longer, but I'm sure we could come to some sort of agreement."  He laughed.  Reaching into the folds of his cape he drew out an object, he turned his shoulder ever so slightly and threw it at Spider-man.  Spider-man tried to knock it away from him as his spider sense went off but it exploded on impact of the back of his hand, smoke exploding all over the place making him hunch over and cough, his lungs feeling like they were being filled and about to explode.  He heard the cars screech to a halt but he couldn't make his body cooperate with his brain. _"Have…to…move.  Can't…let them…catch me."_ He thought.

The doors to the museum were soon knocked down and the smoke came billowing out.

            "Whoa, damn! Look at all that smoke!  Let it clear out before moving inside."  One of them said covering his face.

"Sir! It was reported that Spider-man and an affiliate of his were seen in here.  This was where the hostages had escaped! I'm going in!"  One of the new recruits said ducking inside.  The other officers rolled their eyes at the rookie and followed in after him so the new recruit wouldn't get his head blown off.  They readied their guns for any sight of Spider-man once the smoke cleared, yet when it finally did there was no one left inside the museum.

*                                              *                                              

            Spider-man was already gone by the time the doors were kicked in, he leaped up through the broken skylight and had already began his lift into the air again and grinned to himself as he could hear them wondering where the hell he had just gone.  It was late, he could tell from the skyline just as the sun had began to rise just slightly over the horizon illuminating the city with hues of pink and orange, the dark violet fading away with the night.  Spider-man yawned as he landed on the side of a building, sitting against the bricks.  It had been too long since he had slept and the weariness of the day had begun to creep up on him, his muscles sore and cramped while his bones began to ache.  He rested his head back against the hard bricks closing his eyelids, which felt like they weighed five pounds apiece.  He knew that it would be foolish of him to fall asleep on some wall, anyone would be able to see him up here soon and a bed sounded much more comfortable to fall into than a brick wall.  Ah the brick walls brought back memories, the first time he scaled one after he had fought with Flash Thompson, and the first time he slammed into one while trying to swing off a web strand for the first time.  He smiled weakly, the impact from the wall hurt like hell but figured that it would have looked very humorous to an outsider if they had been lucky to catch such a thing in person.  He was sure though that to an outsider many things about his life would see pathetic or humorous.  With a painful groan he turned himself around so he was facing the wall and scaled up to the top.  He wasn't too far from his apartment so he figured he would find the alleyway he changed into, grab his clothes and change back to his normal self and head home.  

By the time he got in his door and plopped himself onto his bed his alarm clock was reading six forty-five, it seemed that time was never on his side.  Groaning he pulled his covers over his head and lulled himself off to sleep.

            When the phone rang beside him about an hour later Peter couldn't even bother to move his arm to answer it.  His brain wouldn't cooperate with his body, one leg kicked from under the covers and his hand moved, but that was all he could muster. "Mmmnnaa…" He uttered as he just rolled slightly.  The phone kept ringing and finally his answering machine picked up.

            "Hi this is Harry and Peter's place," His voice spoke on the machine. "We aren't here at the moment so just leave a message." Harry's voice finished.  After the machine beeped Aunt May's voice spoke on the other line in a frantic and worried tone.

            "Peter this is your Aunt May.  Are you there?  It's very important that you pick up the phone if you are." She said in a shaken voice.  

Peter's eyes shot open worriedly, he hoped his aunt didn't get hurt again, Mysterio didn't find out who he was did he?!  His brain instantly commanded his body to roll himself over and reach for the phone.

            "Aunt May? It's me Peter. What's wrong?" He asked gripping the phone tightly in his hand.

"Land sakes child, took you forever to answer the phone," She said half-scolding him.  He nodded his head as if trying to hurry her along; he wanted to get to the root of the matter. "The hospital called Mrs. Watson earlier this morning, they told her that Mary Jane is missing from the hospital.  She disappeared without a trace and the police have no idea where she is. She called me and told me that there was no trace of anything left.  It was as if she got out of bed and left while no one was around."  Her voice shook displaying the nature she was holding.  Peter half-listened to the rest of the words she spoke into the phone, his mind was busy trying to take in the information he just received. Mary Jane was gone…gone from the hospital.  How was that possible?  There was no way she would have woken up, got out of bed and left the hospital without someone seeing.  Something wasn't right or didn't add up right and he couldn't get his finger on it.  "Peter?  Peter?  Child, are you even listening to a word I say?!" His aunt exclaimed on the other line.  He snapped out of his thoughts and went back to talking to his aunt.

            "I'm sorry Aunt May, I was trying to take this all in.  Everything will be all right, I'm sure she'll be fine; there was probably just a mistake.  I'll go down there myself and take a look to make sure that everything's all right.  Have Mrs. Watson come over and reassure her that Mary Jane will be ok.  I'll go now, love you Aunt May."  He said reassuring his aunt.  After getting off the phone with his aunt he climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom stripping his clothes off in a hurry climbing into the shower.

_               Hold on to love. That is what I do,_

_               Now that I've found you._

_               And from above, everything's stinking,_

_               They're not around you._

He showered quickly, his thoughts not leaving M.J. not one time.  One particular image kept on flashing into his mind, the last time he had seen her, lying in the bed looking pale and helpless.  God she was beautiful, and he loved her with his soul but would never be able to tell her that. But if she really wasn't there…he didn't know what he would do, what would be the chance he could find her in a city populated with millions.

   And in the night, I could be helpless 

_   I could be lonely, sleeping without you._

_  And in the day, everything's complex_

_   There's nothing simple, when I'm not around you._

Peter dressed in a hurry into fresh clothes and left the apartment quickly.  He wasn't too far from the hospital so he was sure that he could walk there.  He wrapped his arms around himself, not out of coldness but just something to do with his arms.  He watched the traffic around him; they seemed completely oblivious that their very lives could be in danger if he didn't stop Mysterio soon.  Why did his life have to be so complex, the only thing that wasn't so complex was being with Mary Jane.  No, that wasn't complex, just that he lived a double life, just the thought of not seeing her there when he got to the hospital made him walk quicker.

_                                      But, I miss you when you're gone._

                                      That is what I do, Bay, Bay, Bay 

_                                      And it's going to carry on,_

_                                      That is what I knew, Bay, Bay, Bay_

He went inside the hospital remembering when he had carried Mary Jane all the way from the theater to the inside of the hospital demanding that she be treated right away.  Cops seemed to have swarmed the inside of the hospital, asking everyone questions about god knows what.  Peter slipped past them quickly not being noticed at the moment, taking the stairwell Peter jogged up to Mary Jane's floor level.  Peter began to walk inside but skidded to a halt in the doorway when he actually looked in.

_    Hold on to my hand,_

_    I feel I'm sinking, sinking without you._

_   And to my mind, everything's stinking_

_   Stinking without you._

He felt himself stumble a few feet into the room as his eyes widened in disbelief.  It was true…Mary Jane…the bed…it was empty.  She was gone.  The life support machine was pushed back neatly a few feet away from the bed, all of the little suction cups lying on the floor.  The I.V. bag was pushed into the corner of the wall as well, its needle resting at its top.  The sheets were pulled back from the bed; one would think that Mary Jane hadn't even been in the room if it wasn't for the gentle imprint on the pillows where her head had once been.  Peter furrowed his brows in confusion looking around trying to grasp with reality.  She was gone…she was really gone.  He felt his jaw tremble at the thought of her lying somewhere dead; he couldn't imagine life without her it was impossible.  Life wouldn't be worth it if Mary Jane didn't exist, to see her everyday smile, the love in her beautiful eyes, the way her vibrant red hair would billow in the wind, the way her gorgeous lips would curve into a smile, her touch, her kisses, her love.  His mind swam with the thoughts of life without her.  He fell onto his knees with a whimper.  "Mary Jane…" He said softly wanting her there with him.  His fingers grazed the cold tiled ground.

_   And in the night, I could be helpless,_

_   I could be lonely, sleeping without you._

_  And in the day, everything's complex,_

_ There's nothing simple, when I'm not around you._

_ And I miss you when you're gone._

_ That is what I do, Bay, Bay, Bay_

_ And it's going to carry on,_

_ That is what I do, Bay, Bay, Bay_

Rose petals.  He now grasped at white rose petals that were under the bed.  "Huh?"  He picked up a small card and unfolded it reading the contents inside.  "Mary Jane, I wish the best for your recovery, once you bounce back come see me.  I want to give us another try, to start over.  You and I are for each other; there is no one better for you. Love, Harry." Peter read out loud.  Harry was here?  Maybe he knew what happened to Mary Jane.  Peter stood up and left the hospital room in a blind speed.  Perhaps Harry could be the one to help him save Mary Jane.

*                                              *                      *                                  *                                  *

   **A/N**: Ok that's the end of this chapter; let me know how you felt. I love that song that I put in, and thought maybe it could maybe go along with this fic. Ok I'm going to end this with another quote I find hilarious, 'cept it isn't from spider-man. I saw this on Buffy one time. Spike is a vampire, a chip was placed inside his head and he could no longer bite anyone without a series of pain overtaking him (or his skull lol)

            **Spike**: "Come on! It's tele time! Passions is on! Timmy fell down a bloody well and if you make me miss it I'll-"

       **Giles**: "You'll what?! Lick me to death?!"

Hehe ok some might not find that as funny as I do, but ok yeah. 


	11. Splintered

**A/N**: I'm apologizing in advance for not writing in like forever but I've been busy. Really. I just got a job and I barely get any time to write right now **cries. **I miss having my freedom and being able to write whenever I want. I'm also going to be put on a week for every shift which includes graveyard (bah) and I am going to die through that. This was supposed to be a part-time job…but I've been deceive. L  Right now I have a desk clerk job at a hotel (big hotel) so I'm stressed a bit in learning things. Anyways I hope you enjoy this chapter, thank you for your support w/your reviews I appreciate it. And I love the recent Spider-man fanfics that have been coming out. Keep up the MJ and P.P. ones coming, they are good comfort stories J.

            *Disclaimer: I don't own it but the fic. That's all.

            He was at the cemetery visiting his father's grave.  He looked up at the sky; heavy dark clouds had overtaken the sky casting the whole cemetery in a cold darkness.  The wind rustled through the leafless trees eerily but the whole dark scene had matched Harry's mood. If a crack of thunder had suddenly struck a tree with blinding sparks Harry would only smile in pleasure.  As he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the small wrapped flowers with an envelope attached he felt a violent chill run down his spine causing his body to tense. Before he knew it his hand was down into the earth of the grave being pulled almost underneath.  He could see it now, a cold, white bony hand having hold of his wrist from beyond the grave, his father's face soon poked up from the earth.  Harry tried to yank his wrist back with a scream of fear, this wasn't his father, and it couldn't be his father.  This man was pale as death with dark purple rings under his eyes and a gaping mouth of yellowed teeth, it was repulsing, he was still deteriorating.  The smell of death entered Harry's nostrils and he felt his stomach tightening fighting the urge to gag.

            "Harry, you dishonor me by not avenging my death.  What kind of son are you?  You let Spider-man get away with murder."  His raspy voice hissed with anger.  Harry had never heard him use this sound of voice before, there was no way that this could be his father.

"No. No, I'm working on it; I promise I'll make him pay one-way or another.  He'll suffer more than anyone could ever imagine.  I promise, dad." Harry said both in fear of his father as well as being overjoyed in seeing his father again even if it was in this way.  They had taken their lives together as father and son for granted and never spent much time together.  When they had realized this they both made an agreement to be an actual father and son, but Spider-man stole that time away.

            "I don't want your empty promises, Harry! Action! That's what I want.  This little deal you have with Beck is conniving, I give you that, but I know that you are capable of better!" His words reminded him all too well of the past Norman Osborn who had claimed that Harry never used his full potential in school. Pain welled up in his heart; even through death his father thought he was a failure. "You are a bright boy, make me proud and show me what you can really do."  This struck thought into Harry's mind, he knew his father was right.  The only way he could get rid of Spider-man was if he did it himself, Beck would end up trying to screw him over in the end anyways and it seemed that Spider-man wasn't what he was really after.  Harry had found Beck's so-called sealed records.  Not too long ago Beck was arrested and sent to prison for tampering with a movie set on the Brooklyn Bridge causing a helicopter crash, several injuries to actors and staff, and the lead actress who had been stunt driving a corvette on the bridge was reported missing, her body had never been found.  Running from the scene knowing he was a dead man if caught for his actions Beck tried to escape but was caught by Spider-man.  Beck's employers filed several charges on Beck including manslaughter even though the actress' body had never been found; they wanted Beck put away for good.  Even though Quentin Beck, Mysterio, hated Spider-man, the web head was not his main concern of terminating; he just wanted him out of his way while he could have his revenge.  

            Harry looked down of what was left of his father and then the corpse that had once been known as Norman Osborn crumbled to dust, leaving Harry alone again.

            Jerking awake, Harry sat up on his father's plush couch in the mansion with perspiration dripping off his forehead and running down the sides of his face. He rubbed his eyes exhaustedly and laid his back against the tough leather exterior uncomfortably.  Sometimes he'd come and stay at his father's mansion so he could feel to his father, missing him.  He again had nightmares but this last nightmare had really gotten to him.  He kicked his blankets off himself as he stood up.  He had forgotten what he did at the hospital, why did he go there again?  Mary Jane.  What about her?  He didn't remember.

A knock on the door interrupted his jumbled thoughts.  He glanced at the door wondering who would possibly come to disturb him at such a late hour and stretched pulling his arms over his head as his green silk shirt rose up over his stomach for a moment.  With such restlessness in his own life he had begun to work out at his father's personal gym with a trainer.  No one would be able to guess that from under the fancy suits would be a well chiseled body. He toned his muscles in his arms instead of building muscle on, and he developed a flat almost exact washboard stomach. His abs were developing, his stomach was definitely taut with some definition of abs, he didn't have too bad of a body he thought. If only Mary Jane could see him like this and maybe perhaps she would go back to him.  Yanking his shirt back down over his stomach he walked over to the door, his body feeling slow and sluggish.  Pushing away his thoughts of his father, the nightmare and Mary Jane he opened the door seeing his roommate Peter standing in front of him.

            "Hey Pete, what are you doing here?" He asked leaning against the doorway.  Peter looked exhausted and depressed or upset about something.  He had dark circles brimming under his eyes and his shoulders were slumped forehead with a sense of weakness.  "You look like hell," He said not meaning to sound rude to his friend at all.

      "I need to ask you something, Harry.  Can I come in?" He asked, directing a hand to inside the place.  Harry nodded and let Peter inside the main room of the place. Harry nodded to Peter to sit down in one of the leather chairs of the room, Peter did so to be polite but he didn't feel comfortable to be in the home of his former nemesis: Green Goblin.

            "Well, talk Peter or are you going to stare at the walls all day," Harry said trying to force a smile on his lips.  "Tell me what is on your mind, you look like you want to roll over and die or something." He said critically viewing his friend.

      "Well Harry…Aunt May called me and told me that Mary Jane was missing from the hospital.  I had just figured that she had overheard someone ranting some stupid rumor from the hospital but when I went to go check for myself there were cops all over the place. I snuck to M.J.'s room and she was gone, I mean the machine was pushed back and all, there was no way she could have gone by herself." Peter said carefully saying each word as he stared at Harry watching him.

            "That's horrible, Peter.  I wonder what could have happened to her.  You don't think that someone abducted her do you?" He asked placing a sincere look on his face.

Peter didn't say a word; he just studied Harry trying to get some kind of reading off him.  He felt a stab of mistrust sit in his gut, and he hated himself for not trusting his best friend and roommate.

     "Harry, did you visit the hospital today, to see Mary Jane?" He asked trying to keep his voice from sounding shrill.  Harry wouldn't lie to him would he?

            "Hm…visit Mary Jane in the hospital? No..I did that Tuesday..I didn't have any time today to go see her." He said almost as if sounding casual.  Peter's eyes narrowed as he clenched his left fist.  Peter caught Harry in the lie; in any other time perhaps he could just shrug it off but not when it was as important as this. He flared his nostrils as he sat there in silence.

Harry caught Peter's glare and sat uncomfortably in his chair.  What did Peter know?  He looked as if he was going to deck him or something.  Harry averted Peter's look as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

Peter's hand shot up only inches away from Harry's face almost smacking him in the face with something.  Harry jerked back in reflex, his hands in front of his face trying to avoid any punches Peter might throw.  However no punches were thrown, there wasn't a single sound except for Peter's deep breathing.

    "Look Harry!  Tell me what this is." Peter said raising his voice louder almost shoving something in his face.

Harry moved his hands down from his face and looked back at a card that was only inches away.  The top was inscribed to Mary Jane while signed: Love, Harry, with that day's date.  He gulped not knowing what to say or think to try to get him out of this.  He didn't want to lie to Peter, but it was none of his business. "I found this under the bed with some rose petals, something the police obviously missed.  Now Harry, tell me the truth." Peter said calming his voice as he lowered the card.  His blue eyes were intense as he was sitting forward desperately trying to get down to what happened.

            "What are you, a private detective? Get off my back Peter, it's none of your business about Mary Jane and I." Harry said defensively as he glared back.

   "Her well being is my business.  If you know what happened to her I want to know.  Don't you want her back safe?" Peter said furrowing his brows wondering what Harry's intentions about Mary Jane were.  He never thought his friend could be capable of hurting someone but after what Harry had told him in the cemetery about seeking revenge against Spider-man his views were changed.

            "I saw her this morning for five minutes. I came in after Felicia Hardy left, brought the roses and the card and left. I had too much to deal with in OsCorp today.  So I don't know what happened either.  If you think you're going to go blaming it on me then you have another thing coming.  You're supposed to be my friend here Pete, not my enemy." 

   "I'm sorry Harry, I'm just really worried about Mary Jane.  I miss her so much I-" Peter's words were cut off from the loud thump against one of the doors upstairs located where Harry's room used to be.  Both men jerked their heads up in the direction of the sound freezing in place.  Peter shot a look at Harry. "What was that?"

Panic swept across Harry's face.

            "Nothing Peter, probably just an old drawer falling out or something, nothing to be worried about." He said quickly.  He now remembered what happened.  It all came rushing back like a river, him at the hospital with Mary Jane.  She had actually begun to recover, it seemed impossible but Mysterio was never one to trust and probably screwed up on Mary Jane. He couldn't leave her there, he knew Spider-man cared about Mary Jane and would use whatever lever he could against him and had to get Mary Jane back to the comatose state she had been in.  He snuck her out of the hospital without being seen, getting her back to the mansion was a little bit harder. She had gained unconscious use to her limbs and had begun to move.  She was sleepwalking, well stumbling was more like it, knocking over a lamp and falling over the couch.  Harry put her up in his old room laying her on the bed; he hoped she would lie still. He could now bet himself that Mary Jane had begun to sleep walk about and had ran into his door.  Peter didn't believe him and ran up the stairs quickly towards Harry's room.

            "Shit…" Harry muttered angrily as he ran up after Peter.  He darted around Peter and slammed himself up against his door blocking entry to Peter. There was another thump against the door causing it to shake.  Peter stared at the door not believing what was happening, he looked up at Harry as if waiting for him to move or make up another story.

    "Another drawer finding its way to your door, Harry?" He asked sarcastically trying to reach for the doorknob.

Harry knocked his hand away hastily.

            "I just remembered that I put our guard dog in here.  He was chasing after the service trying to attack them so I decided to lock him in my room just until the help decides to leave." He pressed himself up against the door harder trying to get Peter to stop shoving.  Peter was pretty strong surprisingly and it was hard for him to push him away.

    If Peter wanted to he could have picked up Harry and tossed him aside, but he would never do that to a friend.  "Come on then Harry, let me see your dog, I'm good with animals remember?" He said with a knowing smile on his face.

            "Sorry Peter he doesn't like strangers. He'll try to eat you, he was my dad's dog, and the bastard only liked him and tolerated me.  You wouldn't survive very long with him on the loose."  Harry said quickly, wincing as Peter shoved in Harry again.  He heard a splitting crack against the door. '_Great, with our weight combined I bet we're going to splinter the door, not only getting me caught with having Mary Jane here but ruining my dad's favorite wood.' _He thought as he tried to move Peter back.

   "Really nice of you Harry but I can take care of myself, you know." Peter's voice sounded strained.  "Or do you have something to hide in there?" He said challenging him.  He stood back a few inches and rammed himself into Harry hard not wanting to hurt him.  The door cracked again and splintered causing the both of them to fall into Harry's room on the carpet surrounded by splinters and chunks of wood.  Peter looked up and around the room.  Everything seemed normal, the bed in the center of the room, a desk against the wall, dresser on the opposite side and the window at the fall wall. Nothing seemed out of place except for the broken door that Peter and Harry caused.

            "Guess I didn't lock him up in here," Harry said slowly.  He shoved Peter away from him as he slowly stood up with a groan, he could feel some of the wood splinters stuck in his hand.  "Thanks a lot Peter, as if I needed more of my things to be broken." He said darkly.

Peter looked down glumly feeling guilty about what he had just done.

     "I'm sorry Harry, I'll pay for it I promise." Peter said reaching into his pocket.  Harry dismissed it with the mere wave of his hand; he had his back turned to Peter.

            "You're my friend, Peter.  Friends do stupid things sometimes.  Now will you please go? I want to be left alone."  Harry said with no trace of emotion.  Peter felt worse, suspecting that his friend could be hiding Mary Jane from him, what kind of insane thought was that?  He nodded and left quickly without saying a word.

            After he was gone Harry looked around to make sure the coast was clear.  With no one in sight Harry walked to his closet opening the door.  Curled up on the floor he saw Mary Jane lying under some of his clothes.

            "Good, maybe you'll stop trying to get me in trouble." He sighed.  He grabbed his cell phone off his desk and dialed in a slight familiar number.  "Beck, it's Osborn.  Yeah, your little experiment on Mary Jane backfired. She's up and walking," He sighed into the phone for a moment. "No…she's not really awake.  Just walking around.  Fine! You take her to your lab, I don't want you messing around on her at Oscorp alright?!"  He hung up the phone and tossed it around the room.  He was so sick of this run around.  This was not a game to him and he was damned sure he was going to let Mysterio know.

**                    **                    **                    **                    **                    **                    **

            Spider-man was once again out in the air shooting double web moving quickly.  He didn't look down to watch everyone's reaction, he didn't marvel at being able to enjoy.  He felt the cold air chill him through his suit but he didn't let that get to him.  His mind felt empty, he couldn't think at all even as he passed by the large skyscrapers litted up with bright lights all around him.  A flash of red hair, a gorgeous smile that could melt anyone, a soft embrace, the love in her blue-green eyes when she looked at him…that's what he missed.  He wanted to feel her soft embrace and the passion that her lips had bestowed upon his twice.  When she kissed him the second time in the cemetery he had to hold back his passion, to take her in his arms and kiss back with all his might. He groaned in thought of just kissing her, it was like nothing he had ever experienced before, he could die a happy man to just say that his first kiss had been with a girl he had loved most of his life, her kisses were addicting and it took all his strength to stop himself.  He probably wouldn't have stopped if he could have it his way, but if he had it his way he'd be a selfish man and have her kept away safe from anyone.  That would be wrong of him, everyone deserved to know Mary Jane and he would never deny her right to seek her dreams of acting, but that was past tense.  He thrusted both of his wrists in the air again as he did a double shot of web again yanking his body higher into the air.  

            It was strange now that his spider sense wasn't going off at all. There had been no robberies, theft or any other crimes committed other than the heist Mysterio pulled with the fake Spider-man.  He didn't know either that was bad or good; so many things were going on behind his back. Especially with Harry, Harry was up to something and wasn't willing to tell Peter about it.  Was it that bad?  Or was Harry in so much grief about his father that he didn't want anyone to try to bother him?  Whatever the case was Peter didn't like feeling like he couldn't do anything to help those he cared about.  That's why he had become Spider-man, to make sure that nothing ever again happened like what had happened to his Uncle Ben.  Secretly though…another reason added to his list of many was to fight the guilt that came with his major mistake.  

He felt sick to his stomach thinking about it and lowered his web shooting to land gracefully on a nearby roof.  He hunched over for a moment wrapping his arms around his stomach. 

            "I'm not weak. I-..I can do this. I can find Mary Jane, help Harry and get rid of that fish-bowl lunatic." He said confidently.  He stood up to his full height after taking a deep breath inward.  He felt an odd buzz in the back of his mind stirring his sense.  He looked around and saw nothing coming. Odd.  

Shouting directed his attention to a skylight just a few feet away.  He lowered himself to the surface of the roof and scaled across silently peering in on the skylight.  He was looking in on a white room, about medium sized that had several operating tables in place.  A tray was next to one of the operating tables complete with sterilized utensils. Other than that Peter couldn't see too much.  He heard a heavy metal door snap shut with an echo and footsteps approaching from below. An older man in a white lab coat walked to the operating table accepting a folder from someone out of Spider-man's view.

            "The patient has only gained slight consciousness? I do not understand." The older man said looking through the folder.

The second man out of view from the skylight sighed with a hint of exasperation.

  "It's a complicated thing, nothing like this has happened before I don't think. She hasn't really woken up, her sub-conscious is controlling her movements almost like it's willing her to wake up."

            "That's preposterous!  It's not possible." The older man said almost snapping at the second man.  He stopped and pulled out a glossy photo holding it up in the light.  "Such a pity that such a young beautiful girl is to under go such treatment."  The photo caught in the light of the room and Spider-man caught view of it.  His breath caught in his chest as he saw the face of Mary Jane Watson looking back at him.  Anger took over common sense as he stood up.  He wanted answers and he'd get them right now.  Leaping into the air he flipped forward and crashed through the skylight onto the unsuspecting doctors below.

****** ******* ***** *******                                           *************

**A/N** : Ok this was longer than usual and it was hard to end it how I would have liked but I did put great effort into this story. So please be kind and Review, it'd be much appreciated, I really do appreciate all your comments I've read, you make it worth to write for, heh. And thank you finalfantasygrrl for congratulating me, that was really sweet and Sayuri-san please calm down,lol I read all my reviews so I uh..saw your review..um..chill ok, I'm an MJ and P.P. fan, not that I'm giving my story away or nothing but why would I want to put Felicia with Peter? I'd give myself nightmares. ^.^


	12. Getting some Answers

**Disclaimer**: Don't own spider-man or sony or marvel or none of their characters. You all know the drill, this is just a fan fic and nothing more J Notes about specific details will be located down at the bottom of my fic so I do not spoil anything down below. And I apologize for the lack of updating my chapter. Being stumped for a specific chapter comes easy and I have most of the very last chapter already written *can you believe that?? * so here is chapter 12 and don't worry the end of the fic is coming near.

Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews, you are all so great and I really mean it.

-DominoDS

            "Ahhhhhh!" The second man in the lab coat screamed as he flew across the room into the wall at full force. The wall cracked at the hard impact as his body seemed to crumble to the floor.  The other man looked over to his colleague who was unconscious on the ground, more than likely most of his bones had just shattered. Then he looked over at the intruder who had sent his friend flailing into the wall.  Spider-man.

Fear instantly took a hold of him as he felt his feet moving backwards. Glass was strewn all over the ground and the other workers had fled the room.  He must have been too stupid or frozen with shock to have been able to join the.  Spider-man approached him slowly, his hands ready to grasp the doctor's throat at any time and strangle the breath out of him.  The doctor backed into the wall with a gulp, the photograph of Mary Jane Watson fluttering to the tiled floor.  Spider-man extended his right wrist as a strand of white webbing shot out at light speed and snatched up the photograph, sending it to his hand.  Time seemed to stop for that instant, the doctor watched as Spider-man seemed to glare at him through his mask, he could feel the anger radiate from Spider-man's body.  The sudden movement from Spider-man sent the man cowering against the wall.  Spider-man shot forward with one arm outreached for the man's coat collar, shoving him tightly against the wall he pushed the photograph of the girl into his face.  The doctor struggled for air as his lungs felt like they'd explode.  More pain cascaded down his body as Spider-man drew him away from the wall only to shove him into it harder.

            "Where is she?!" He demanded in a yell.  If looks could kill, the doctor was sure that he'd be a melted pile of garbage.

"Wh-what?" The doctor stuttered. He knew exactly what Spider-man had asked; his mind was just a little slow to comprehend since he was scared senseless. This man could kill him with just a mere punch more than likely and if he was this pissed what was stopping him?

            "What did you do with her?!"  He yelled again.  His voice had begun to sound hoarse.  Perhaps this man had close relations with this girl, otherwise he probably wouldn't have sounded so broken up about it.

"Sh-she w-was taken by Mysterio." The doctor sputtered out.  Perspiration streamed down his forehead dripping on the ends of his glasses.  He was telling the truth, why would he lie to someone who could crush his throat.  Spider-man tightened his grip on the doctor.

            "Ok, I'm going to ask this only once then.  Where are they?"  He said calming down only slightly.  He could obviously see that he wouldn't get much sound information from the doctor if he made him pass out in fear. 

"I-I'm not sure.  I overheard them say that he's going to the bridge.  Maybe he brought the girl with him."  The doctor began to tremble again, color drained from his face as he looked down at the ground in embarrassment.  He wet himself.  Spider-man sighed, he was used to getting this type of reaction out of people, yet a smile appeared on his face as he thought to himself "_I scared someone enough to wet their pants_," However of course it he felt bad for the guy, even if he did do these things it didn't give Spider-man the right to go left and right scaring the daylights out of people.  He lifted the doctor up off the ground, as he did so his spider-sense began to shriek in alarm.  _Now what?_  He spun around with the doctor grasped in one hand.  One of the other scientists had come back for them and now had a gun aimed at Spider-man.  He fired off a couple rounds at Spider-man screaming.  Spider-man leapt at the wall, his feet attaching and sprang up at the ceiling with a screaming doctor in hand.

"Oh dear god someone help me!!" The doctor shrieked.  Spider-man groaned in annoyance, he felt so tempted to drop the man right on his face to shut him up.

"Why don't you just stay still and let me shoot you!" The other man yelled trying to get a shaky fix on Spider-man as he dodged each and every bullet perfectly, even with one arm occupied with the doctor.

            "Uhh…maybe because I don't want to get shot." He said sarcastically. He let go of the doctor with his occupied hand and webbed him up at the ceiling.  "I'll deal with you later, docky." He said.  He shot another webbing from the ceiling and swung down at the attacker delivering a drop kick at the man's gut.  He tumbled back several feet and fell to the ground not making any more movement.  Spider-man grunted kicking the gun aside and tilting his head to the side.  "Oh come on.  I was hoping I'd get a better fight than that." He said ostentatiously.  His sense buzzed again as a handful of security officers began to run for the room.  "Me and my big mouth!" He complained out loud as he slammed the door shut.  Grabbing one of the prepping tables he wedged it against the door as tight as he could.

"Open up!" He heard from the other side.

            "Uhh, nobody's home!" He called before he leapt up through the skylight.  '_That should keep them busy for awhile'_ he thought. _'Now to track down Mysterio at the bridge. Hmm… am I having some kind of bad déjà vu with this or do these big name villains always love meeting at the bridge?' _He asked himself bitterly.  He was already having a hard time sleeping because of the nightmares he would have about his "meeting" with the Green Goblin for the last time.  Things wouldn't happen like they did last time would they?

*        *        *          *         *         *          *           *           *           *           *        *         *

            "We're thinking about re-doing the Miranda Wilson movie, that we had been filming awhile back, and finishing it up."

"The Miranda Wilson movie…oh the one that the special effects guy almost blew up?  How are ya gonna do that?  Miranda Wilson is dead."

            "She's not dead…just…temporarily missing.  Not that it matters we'll find someone who looks like her to play her character and re-shoot everything." Marc Shino swallowed nervously as he waited for the company's approval.  This movie was a big deal to him and his crew.  Everything would have gone smoothly if only the special effects guy…what was his name, oh yeah Beck something.  If only he didn't go psycho and try to blow everything up including the lead actress, then they could have made it big with this movie.

"When do you plan on starting the auditions for Miranda Wilson's character?"

            "Perhaps nine months from now. We have to re-write the script and change a few things here and there and not make the same mistakes we made last time. So what do you say sir?"  Marc Shino leaned forward in his seat smiling, pleading that he would say yes.

Mr. Snithe (not snyth) sat back in his large leather chair thinking.  He ran a meaty hand through his graying mustache and thought hard about the pros and cons for each decision. Cons: 1) Donating more money 2) the length of period of ever hoping to see it again. 3) Movie could be a complete waste and turn out to be a bomb  4) another psycho thinks this would be a great opportunity to cause more chaos.  Pros: 1) Keep the rest of the Hollywood tailgaters off my ass,  2) Movie could turn out to be a big success  3) Could make a lot of money off of it 4) MONEY  5) Have the major movie stars beginning to have their movie made by my company  6) Free Publicity  7) MONEY!!

            Hmph, so far the pros outweighed the cons.

"Alright, I'll do it. But if I don't see any progress within a certain amount of time I will personally yank my funding from your movie and see you fade from existence."  Snithe hissed.  Shiro slowly nodded with a nervous smile.  Business was a hard thing to do.  Snithe's intercom buzzed drawing their attention away from the deal.

"Yes?"  Snithe spoke into the com.

            "M-Mr. Snithe there's someone here to see you, sir."  The secretary said shakily.

"Tell them to come back later, I'm busy right now." He said in a grisly tone.  Anyone that had half a sense of what Snithe was really like would listen, but there are some that could care less about it. "You got that, Ms. Grunder?" Snithe said lowering his face to the intercom again.  He waited for a response quietly yet there was only silence on the other side.  His dark bushy brows lowered slightly with nervous aware. He heard a thick cracking of the door, as it broke free of its hinge sending chunks of plaster with it as it fell to the ground.  A figure stood in the doorway with an orchid colored cape sweeping about his body.  He looked like someone that had escaped a comic book convention. The men at the table erupted into fits of laughter at the sight.  Why would anyone in their right mind wear a bowl on their head…and what looked like to be a green spacesuit?  

Well this idiot probably wasn't in their right mind.  Snithe stroked his beard as he leaned back in his leather chair unfazed by the fool who had just entered his office.

"Just who the hell do you think you are by entering my office?" He asked.  Shino shook his head in disbelief as the man who stood before them removed the dome above his head.

"Speaking of the devil…" Shino muttered slightly as he looked back into the face of Quentin Beck, the man who had once been respected for his special effects.

            "I'm glad that you still remember me, you should." He said as he removed something from behind his cape. "I am not the devil, but soon you will meet with him."  

He tossed a silver canister onto the ground and replaced his helmet on his head.  Reddish fumes began to spray from the canister in all directions causing Snithe to cover his face.

            "It's some kind of gas! Nobody breathe it in!" He tried yelling through the fits of coughs coming from his whole team.  However it was no use, there was no way to keep them from inhaling the gas and soon everyone was passed out on the floor.

            Mysterio crossed his arms over his chest as he look over the room of sprawled bodies lying over the ground.  He hadn't seen such stupidity in such awhile and he felt disgusted that he had ever worked for such corrupted businessmen such as these.  Intelligence lacked in the world today and for that Mysterio felt like he was above everyone else.  "I pity you…I pity that you all only know the lowest depths of stupidity…and for that I will take you out of your suffering."

*                      *                                              *                                  *                      *          

            Here he was standing just amongst one of the many cables the held up the rather Queensboro bridge that held so many memories for him already.  It was sad that for being at such a young age that he only had bad memories of this bridge, but he didn't have any choice he had to be here so he could figure out a way to save the people of New York.  There was no way that he was going to assist Mysterio in any way anymore, there were just too many lives at stake to be playing around.  Still no sign of Mysterio, he then began to wonder if he would even show up or if this was just another ploy he could play with his back turned.  Better yet, Spider-man began to think of how Mysterio was able to create the disturbing illness that he had set loose on random victims.  There would have to have been some way financially, and there were no reports of any bank robberies and he had an old friend that worked at the bank secretly check to see if any big transfers or withdrawals had been made. There wasn't one single shred of evidence about it.  

            Then he saw him.  Waiting just a ways across the very top of the bridge for him with an unconscious Mary Jane lying in his arms.  His dark cape billowed in the wind making him look like some significant comic book character.  Peter swallowed nervously as he wondered what his next move would be.  If he got too close to Mysterio to get to Mary Jane, he could toss her body off the bridge and Spider-man would be too far away to reach her in time.  Many different choices played out in his head in panic as he reached out.

            "What do you have planned, Mysterio?" He asked as he watched cautiously.

Mysterio didn't respond, he just continued to stand there holding Mary Jane.  Peter arched his brow from under his mask.  Something just seemed fishy about this but he couldn't put his finger on it. "Hey! Hello! Mr. Man with the prune cape, I'm here like you asked…"

Still Mysterio didn't respond to Spider-man.  He seemed to just stand there waiting for Spider-man to make a move.  Spider-man leaned forward only slightly listening to his heart pound hard in his chest.  Still nothing.  He grabbed onto one of the cables with one of his hands to hold himself steady as he tilted his wrist only slightly to shoot a web just around a cable located near Mysterio.  Spider-man sailed through the air towards them, as time itself seemed to slow. As he came near, Mysterio stepped back from his spot and opened his arms causing MJ to slip from his hold and fall freely down below.

            "MJ! Nooooo!" Spider-man screamed at the top of his lungs as he let go of his web to fall along with her.  It was like history was repeating itself and this was another chance he could lose the woman he loved.  He outstretched his arms prepping his body like how a bungee jumper would prepare for their adrenaline sail. His body loomed closer and closer to her as his eyes watched both the surface of the water that was approaching fast and Mary Jane.  As he became close enough to her, he shot a line off towards the bridge, attaching, and swung over to Mary Jane.  But he went right through her.  He jerked his head back in shock almost half expecting to see her body splash violently into the water but no such thing happened.  Instead in his time of surprise he lost his own hold on his web and fell into the water. Spider-man sunk below the icy depths of the water too confused to struggle against its pull. As his air begun to thin he pumped his legs hard to push back up to the surface.  His costume clung tightly to his skin, and over his mouth making it hard for him to breathe.  He gasped for air as he reached quickly for his mask and lifted it up over his mouth.  He coughed up any water that had entered into his lungs and pounded a fist unsuccessfully into the water.

"You son of a bitch!! Where the hell are you?!" He screamed into the air noticing that Mysterio was nowhere in sight at the moment.  It was a trick; all of it was a trick to keep him busy, that bastard. _'I'm going to kill him. I swear I'm going to kill him._' He laughed furiously to himself, feeling that his sanity was on a very thin edge.  A strange flying global device sailed just in front of his face.  He frowned guessing that it must be one of Mysterio's 'toys'. He went to knock it away from his face and the device floated away from him sending out a sort of charge at him.  Spider-man cried out in pain as it shocked his body rendering him unable to move.  Laugher rang out from the device catching his attention. He knew exactly who it was, of course there was but one person who would have tricks hidden everywhere. Mysterio.

       "So you fell for that last trick, hm?  It was quite amusing to see on my end.  To think you almost risked your life for a fake image."  He laughed.

"You lied! You said that you'd meet me here tonight!" Spider-man growled through clenched teeth.

            "Since when did you believe the word of a convicted felon?  You really make me pity you now. You were willing to risk everything even when I had just one hostage. But now that I have the whole city under my foot you are really…. screwed." He laughed.

"But I will yield and give you a chance to save these people.  You see I am not beyond human emotions or feelings. I do care somewhat about what happens to these people.  We're just leaving it up to you Spider-man." He said ending the last sentence with a hint of fake emotion.

Spider-man began to feel again, his limbs slowly moving in the water.  

 "Where are you?!" Spider-man demanded in anger.  He was so sick of playing games with Mysterio.

            "Hmm, judging by the tone of your voice you wish to kill me for everything I've done right? Well, well, well. Such is the road traveled by a super-hero.  You are forbidden to kill me.  You have to turn me in to the proper authorities. Anyways, I bet you are wondering where I am holding my hostages."

Spider-man clenched his teeth, wishing he could tear into Mysterio ripping him apart.  Maybe if he got to him first he could beat him into a bloody pulp then turn him into the authorities.  God knows he deserved it.

            "I'm at the old opera house just south of here by twenty minutes.  Can you get here in time before all your citizens expire? Especially the very lovely red haired one.  Oh yes, she is my favorite.  Hair the color of a red, red rose. Skin as flawless as porcelain, lips are crimson as blood and eyes the color of the ocean.  Ah yes, what warm blooded male couldn't possibly desire her…" He trailed off cackling.  "I'll be waiting for you Spider-man, and this is just the beginning of the maze."

He couldn't possibly take anymore; just the thought of Mysterio laying a hand on Mary Jane caused his blood to boil violently.  All he could see was red and hear the sound of his heart beating faster and faster.  His eyes darkened beneath his mask and rage erupted from his mouth as his fists shot out at the device.  The little toy exploded at the impact of his fist, pieces flying everywhere.  Mysterio would be dead.  Yes, when Spider-man found him, he was going to kill him for everything he had done to the people of New York, especially Mary Jane.  Without anymore time slipping by he was back in the air and moving faster than he ever had before to the old opera house.  

He reached the old opera house quicker than he thought and stopped in front of the barred door.  Ripping off the boards he was inside quickly and stopped in place realizing that there was no way that his spider-sense would be able to help him.

*         *                    *                *               *              *           * 

*Notes about the Miranda Wilson information:  yes I know this is from the cartoon, some things I sort of did borrow but because it did include Mary Jane I thought it would be interesting to re-invent it and use it differently, it might lead into something eventually. And I apologize about the chapter, I had the hardest time writing this, I would stop and take a long time until I'd start again.  My computer also kept on freezing up from time to time and stopped my progress on my story making me start all over. Bloody bugger hell. (pardon)


	13. Caught in the web

Dedicated to: Everyone who has supported me thus far and believed in me. Those who had enjoyed this fan fiction, who enjoy Spider-man and wait for the DVD and the second movie to grace the silver screen. To my loved ones and my inspiration of the fic Spider-man. ^.^ Thank you to the reviewers and fans who have given me wonderful reviews, thank you Danny Elfman for a tremendous score of this awesome movie, Ted Raimi for a beautiful film, the actors, And thank you to Chad Kroeger and Josey Scott for the song "hero", somehow I've not gotten tired of it yet!

_                        DISCLAIMER: As always I don't own Spider-man or anything affiliated to it. They belong to their own respected companies and the ideas of this fic are mine, surprisingly, except for some of the help I've gotten from some episodes of the cartoons with Mysterio._

**_The Spider and the Angel by DominoDS_**

****

**_Chapter 13: Caught in the Web_**

            Darkness invaded his soul as he stepped inside.  No more games, no more pranks, he had all he could take and he was no longer going to be pushed around by some man wearing a spacesuit with a fishbowl where his head should be.  Hell, he was Spider-man!  He fought the green goblin, taken care of terrorists and kept the city safe all this time, why should some illusionist suddenly take him down?  Ok, maybe he was getting ahead of himself.  He wasn't the best damn hero out there, but lately he had been the best thing that had happened to the city.  He particularly wanted to keep it that way.

            He moved further inside the abandoned theater, everything was dark and quiet, a setting for surprise no doubt.  He suddenly wished for some kind of light to guide him around, he may have webbing, incredible agility, spider-sense, wonderful vision, and super strength, but it couldn't really help him out in pitch dark.  

            A spotlight shot down on him suddenly, causing him to freeze like a deer caught in the headlights as he tried covering his eyes from the glare.  It was very little help when he tried avoiding the light, leaping for the side of the wall. Somehow he wasn't able to stick and he slipped off falling hard onto his back in surprise.  The familiar cackling laughter seemed to bounce off the walls.

            "What's wrong Spider-man?  Feeling a little lost?  Perhaps I should send down a little tour guide for your amusement." Mysterio's voice spoke with malice and pleasure in one.  Spider-man groaned inwardly.  _'Great, that's all I need, Mysterio bringing down a new playmate for me..' _he thought bitterly.

"Nope.  I'll be fine. I think I can find my way around just fine."  Spider-man said as he got back to his feet, ducking into the shadows as quick as he could.

            "But I insist.  Once you meet Jack, you'll never come back."  Mysterio laughed over the speaker.  Spider-man looked around quizzically not really understanding what Mysterio had really meant.  **ZING!!!**  A bullet flashed by him, striking plaster just about his head.  He furrowed his brows in worry.  No spider-sense?!  What was wrong?!  This didn't normally happen like this.  Another whooshed right past him, this time slicing into the plasterboard just above his head.  Finally his spider-sense went off and he threw himself forward into a roll to avoid being crushed by the plaster.  It crumbled with a sick thud behind him.  He gazed around on all fours, trying to find the source of the problem.

            A figure slid out from the shadows, pistol drawn and aimed at Spider-man.  He could see the shadow of a hat, and a tunic that covered the body.  He began to run possible solutions through his mind, trying to find a reason why the bullet didn't set off his spider-sense.

            "Well varmit!  You're gonna be road kill!" A robotic voice spouted out from the figure.  Spider-man rolled his eyes.  _'Great.  Robots, my favorite.  It had to be a damn robot!'_ Peter truly had a hate-hate relationship about robots.  He felt that robots were just a lame excuse for the lazy not to work.  They did all the work for them and part of the time they screwed up just as much as any normal person.  He yanked his wrist forward with fury, the white gossamer strands shooting out at an enormous speed and wrapping themselves slickly around the robots head.  With another flick of his wrist, the robot's head snapped off and tumbled along the wooden ground.  The body soon collapsed in a heap beside it.  

"Is that all that you are, Mysterio?  A bunch of tricks?  You're the biggest coward I've ever seen.  You'll never face me yourself will you?!"  Spider-man demands as he stood back up searching through the darkness.

            "I'm smarter than you think, Spider-man.  You should know better than to try any form of psychology on me.  A brilliant strategist knows to keep his distance from the enemy rather than to rush off into battle and get himself killed.  No I think not.  I think you need to earn the right to find me.  Search for the clues little spider and perhaps you may get the cheese in the maze for your little mouse."

Just as Mysterio had wanted, more anger swept through him causing him to run out into the darkness trying to find the source of the voice.  He wanted him to feel pain, to cry out and beg for mercy for all the trouble he had caused the people of New York, for what he'd done to Mary Jane.  **HIS** Mary Jane Watson.  He was tired of sacrificing himself and losing everyone he held dear for it.  He would hunt Mysterio down to the ends of the earth and send him straight to hell, even if it meant he'd go with him just to save the woman he so deeply loved.  

            He kept running blindly forward; his rage guiding him through the confusing maze of night.  He placed his palms ahead of him instinctively and felt for the brick wall that he came to.  He felt for the door and the knob and twisted it, the piece coming off in his hand.  Typical.  He shoved the door open and felt it hit the ground. A scraping sound was heard not far from him, with a soft hiss.  Spider-man quietly wondered what it was, another robot or something real.  He wasn't so sure what to do at that moment, experimentally he leapt to the side of the wall in case danger of some sort was around that his sense couldn't trigger. He felt along for a switch and felt some sort of cord.  There was no sudden panic, or the buzzing of his sense so he gently pulled on it, producing light into the room.  The buzzing suddenly went off like a screaming alarm in his skull as sharp teeth shot down towards his head.  In seconds he had vaulted his body from the wall onto the ceiling and shooting webbing out in a type of reflex towards the attacker. The web quickly wrapped around the foe, stringing the figure against the wall.  Heavy jaws snapped viciously, trying to free itself from the trap the spider placed it in.  It was a large sewer alligator, which appeared very real.  One of Mysterio's real puppets sent to toy with the spider-man.  

            He sighed shaking his head wishing that Mysterio could finally show his cowardly face.  Slowly he gazed around the old theater looking for some sort of exit to continue onto his quest.  With quick movement he was out of the room and moving once more in a sort of maze with a soft glow above.  

He now appeared out in the main theater where the opera house used to be.  He kept his firm grasp onto the wall as he let his eyes search carefully for anything that could be hidden or a trap that lied before him.  Then he found her…  Carefully positioned onto the stage on a large web, lying unconscious.  He looked left, and then right, then up and down to make sure that there wasn't anyone or _anything _lying in wait for him to come rescue this damsel in distress. After all she could be another hologram like what he had done on the bridge.  Horrid thoughts of the hologram on the bridge flashed freshly into his mind, driving a pang of fear into his heart as he gazed down on her.  She looked herself she didn't look imaginary. Just…the beautiful MJ he had always loved with all of his heart.  His heart skipped a beat as he saw something lower itself onto the web just a few feet from the sleeping beauty.  It was a large spider, about the size of both his fists put together climbing down towards Mary Jane.  Was it a hologram, a trap, a robot, or the real thing?  He couldn't risk it as he saw his heart's desire lying in danger.  Leaping off the wall with all his might he jutted out both wrists shooting out a double web and catapulted himself towards the arachnid and his angel.  He landed on top of the web effortlessly, shaking the strong web slightly.  The spider looked up at Spider-man suddenly, he could see his reflection in the eight eyes that stared up quietly at him.  His spider-sense then seemed to cut in, stirring the hairs on the back of his neck.  _'Ok, Mopsy is quite real…'_ he gulped to himself.  He glanced down at Mary Jane trying to figure what he should do.  He clenched his fists as he bent his knees slightly ready to shoot webbing at the spider. Again his spider-sense went off, this time with more aware with an aching feeling at the back of his mind.  It was too late.  A solid object slammed into his back hard throwing him forward into the brick wall that rested on the stage.  

         He felt blood trickle down the left side of his face underneath his mask.  Pain exploded in his head as he heard a ringing sound from all sides.  He pushed himself up to a crouching position, moving slowly but not meaning to.  

            "Think I'd let you get off easy Spider-man? Never, you're going down with the rest of those movie director hotshot critics who destroyed my life. You're all alike!"  Mysterio screamed.  Spider-man turned his head slightly to catch Mysterio standing behind him from the corner of his eye.  He then raised his head painfully to see the spider moving in on Mary Jane faster, having reached her outstretched arm already.

      _'C'mon wall-crawler, think fast before Mary Jane is spider chow,'_ a voice in his head screamed.  Mysterio quickly lowered a vial in his hand.  A red mixture swished inside the bottle, very well being the same thing that he had inflicted the citizens with.

    "Spider-man! Please! Help us!"  A voice yelled. 

Spider-man jerked his head about towards the rafters where figures on the brittle beams were trying to balance themselves.  He jerked his head left and right between the three, his brain slowing down suddenly trying to comprehend what was going on.  

            "Time's up Spider-man, I am sorry I believe you lost this round!"  Mysterio shrieked as he brought his hand down like a hammer towards spider-man's neck.  With the reflexes of lightning Spider-man caught his wrist in mid-motion, gripping sharply.  Mysterio grunted in both pain and surprise as Spider-man rose to his feet overpowering Mysterio and bringing him down onto his knees.

  "No, I think you've lost this round as well as everything else."  Spider-man said darkly, his eyes burning holes into Mysterio's soul as he glared down through the helmet.  He could hear the beams cracking, the spider coming closer as his fangs slowly grazed the soft porcelain skin of MJ.  At that moment everything happened both quick like lightning and slow at the same time.  Snap!  With a mere flick of his hand he broke Mysterio's wrist bringing him to the ground in just seconds, his legs buckled and then he shot off the ground, dropping Mysterio's wrist to save the falling 'hotshots'.  With a spray hammock of web he saved the sniveling fat cats landing on his heels.  Bouncing off its edges, he back flipped towards the web, his eyes catching the creature biting down onto her arm.  If at that moment anyone stated that he had ever been obsessed with Mary Jane Watson enough to kill anyone or anything that harmed her then they'd be right.  He pounced onto the spider and lost control of all his senses as it all became a blur in his actions.  Somehow it ended up across the old opera house…in more than one piece.  His anger was laid to rest as he scooped up the beautiful woman, whom he pined over since his days of youth and cradled her in his arms. She had a light puncture wound on her forearm.  He drew in a shaky breath as he slowly climbed off the web, carrying her like a prized doll.

            "B-by now…she'll be dead… The other's will follow soon."  Mysterio said as he tried to sit up, reaching for the vile.  Spider-man laid Mary Jane gently on the stage as he moved over towards his enemy.  Using his webbing he snatched up the vial before Mysterio got to it. With a sudden jerk he rammed his right fist into Mysterio's helmet, crashing through the glass and breaking the fishbowl on his head.  Mysterio whimpered in pain as he fell back into a heap on the floor, not dead or unconscious but in pure fear.

  "Now…if you don't tell me what I want to know then you'll be dead."  He growled as he yanked off the helmet and gripped Beck's ponytail.

            "If you kill me then you can't help anyone!"  Beck sputtered, licking blood off the corner of his mouth.

  "If you don't tell me then I'll make you wish I had killed you!"  Spider-man yelled as he yanked Quentin Beck off the floor in a sudden sweep.  Beck cried out as he was raised off the floor.

            "Alright! All right! It's not too late!  There is one way, and one cure for them…"

*                                                                      *                                                          *

            Harry Osborn scowled as he took a sip of his hot coffee while reading the morning paper.  The Daily Bugle: On the front cover it read: "Spider-man involved with Mysterio's terrorism of the city?"  Sure the cover read as if Spider-man was part of the cause for the illness taken in New York but the journalist haven written the article actually praised Spider-man for his heroic efforts in saving the city and capturing Mysterio.  Jonah must have been sick and at home that day if that article had gotten away with being printed.

            With a growl, Harry tore up the paper and tossed the shreds onto the ground.  So Quentin was going to backstab him, he almost got around to poisoning him as well and while taking his girlfriend, well…ex-girlfriend soon to be girlfriend again if he could help it, and drugging her to the depths of a coma.  This partnership was definitely not worth it, not worth the risk or the cost.  Something had to be done to make sure that Quentin Beck would not ever squeal on who funded his operations or would ever make it out of the cell blocks.  

            Slowly he stood up and reached for his coat.  "Benton, bring the car round front.  We're going for a ride." Harry said as he looked to his chauffeur with a dark look in his eyes….

*                                                          *                                                          *                      

              **A/N**: Dun dun dun! One more chapter to go and we're done with this fic. cartwheels yaaaaay!  Mid-terms are coming gulp so I will hopefully…get most of the last chapter finished. I already have 3 pages of it done. J so was this ok? Did it suck? Did I rush it? bites nails


	14. Destinies of the spider and an angel

A Spider and the Angel By: DominoDs Chapter 14: The Destinies of the Spider and the Angel *Author's Note: * Hi, thank you very much for supporting my story. I really appreciate it and it has given me the motivation to write and to finish this story. YAY! So here it is, the very last chapter of the story. I hope you enjoy it.* DISCLAIMER: As usual, I, the author of this fic, do not own any characters or any sub-plots to this story. This is influenced by the story of Quentin Beck and Miranda Wilson. However the part of Peter Parker-Spider-man and Mary Jane Watson has been inspired by my imagination. Spider-man belongs to Marvel, Sony, and Stan Lee the creator. Congratulations on all your success. And make sure that you visit Millenya's writing once she gets some fics posted!  
  
*  
  
"Mary Jane Watson! You're not supposed to be out of bed, go back inside your room before you catch a chill." Aunt May scolded the red haired beauty. Mary Jane stood in the activity center of the hospital with her I.V. pulling beside her. Her hospital gown was tied back with a blue sash to keep the breezes away. She wore pink fuzzy slippers on her feet, as she would shuffle by the linoleum floor. She laughed as she looked over at Aunt May and abided by her heading back towards her hospital room. It had been a week since she had finally woken up. Cops had bombarded her in the last few days with questions that she couldn't even begin to answer. She had no idea where she had been; she didn't know what happened to her or why she was even attacked in the first place. All she knew was that she had woken up in a hospital, alone. Mary Jane settled underneath the icy sheets of her bed and blinked through the darkness. It was nine forty-five p.m. on a Saturday night and the only person who had come to visit her that she knew of was Aunt May, Felicia Hardy and her Aunt Anna. Her parents didn't bother to come see her, Harry hadn't been seen lately and Peter never did show up. She sighed thinking about Peter. Perhaps it was time she gave up on him, it felt like he wasn't doing anything but playing silly mind games with her. It was tearing her apart; she could no longer take it.  
  
Felicia had come to see Mary Jane on the third day of her recovery bearing well wishes. Mary Jane was beyond shocked to see the new look of Felicia. The two began to bond oddly enough, wishing to start over. Felicia said that they could start over, they'd have their little rivalries going but it would be nothing more than an innocent competition. Meaning both modeling and acting, and then Peter. Felicia made it very clear that she had a slight interest in peter that she wasn't willing to give up on. With that, the two women shook hands and agreed.  
  
Mary Jane took one last look at the digital clock sitting on the stand near her side and then closed her eyes. She was a little tired from a day full of questioning, tests, and mere exercises to get her muscles active again. Oh Peter.where are you when I really need you by my side? You said you'd always be there for me.was that just a lie? A chill ran along her spine and she opened her eyes flipping over onto her other side, spotting a few of the other citizens that had been swept up into Mysterio's attack. Why did he try to kill everyone in New York anyways? Why did he go after her first as well? It seemed like there was always a never-ending mystery that would plague her brain. Boy oh boy did she love her life. Just as she began to slip off to sleep she heard a thump against the window across the room. She furrowed her brows worriedly as she glanced across the room in the direction of the sound. She gripped the sheet in her hands nervously. It couldn't possibly be anyone else that would want to start trouble now would it? Why me? Why me? I wasn't horrible to other people in high school, I never tried to kill anybody or harm them in anyway.why does it seem like trouble always seeks me out? She asked herself with a hint of fear. The window slid up and a shadowed face popped in just under the curtains.  
  
"Wakey, wakey." Came a familiar muffled voice.  
  
A smile etched its way onto Mary Jane's soft lips. Spider-man. At this time of night? Yeah.duh, when else would he stop by. In the morning?  
  
"Hello, Spider-man." Mary Jane said tiredly with a pleasant smile on her face. The hidden super-hero leapt into the room under the casted glow of the moon and slid the window shut to keep the cold out. With a jut of his wrist his webbing shot out and shut the door with a soft click. He smiled from under the mask as he watched Mary Jane sitting there.  
  
She could see the corners of his mouth from under the mask upturn. 'Yo, Mary Jane! He saved your life! Again! Can you say anything other than sitting here like a idiot with a dreamy smile plastered on your face?!' She told herself. She cleared her throat and sat up in the bed promptly.  
  
"Thank you, Spider-man, for saving my life again. I don't know what this city would do without you. I am very grateful." She said as politely as she could trying to hide the scarlet blush that was finding its way along her skin.  
  
"You're welcome, just anything your friendly neigh-"  
  
"Neighborhood Spider-man would do." Mary Jane finished the sentence for him with an innocent smirk. With a nervous chuckle, Spider-man rubbed the back of his neck.  
  
"Yeah.perhaps I say that too much. I am really glad to see that you're doing better though. I made sure I stopped by every night when there was a slack period." He said in a bashful tone.  
  
Mary Jane was shocked. So perhaps she did have a guardian angel that watched over her in her sleep and made sure she was all right. Spider-man seemed like he had wanted to distance himself from Mary Jane for her protection but as it turned out he wanted to always keep a safe eye on her no matter what.  
  
"Thank you, I-" She began as she tried to sit closer to him.  
  
"There's something I need to tell you." Spider-man said at the exact time that Mary Jane spoke. Silence overtook them both and no one spoke. She stared intently at him, trying to see through his mask, and he could feel her burning eyes on him, making his stomach turn in thousands of flips. It was hard to hide from a look of such passion from someone you had desired since you were six years old.  
  
"Okay, I'm listening." She said politely as she sat up straight with the covers about her. Spider-man began to go through the many ways to start on what he wanted to say. How could he just tell her "Underneath this mask I am really the nerd next door Peter Parker. 'Yeah, remember how you said you loved me and I said that I couldn't? Well this is the reason why, SURPRISE!' He chuckled nervously again and leaped on the side of the wall and sat there trying to make himself comfortable.  
  
"You see, the thing is.after the fact that I almost lost you again.even though I kept my distance.I can't go on being distanced from you. It's just too hard and it seems that no matter what I do, everyone I love either is hurt or pays for my own mistakes." He said trying to keep his voice steady.  
  
Mary Jane's eyes went extremely wide with surprise, joy and shock. "Y-you love me? Wait a minute. you haven't made any mistakes. Anything and everything that has happened happened out of normal circumstances. It would have happened whether you would have been to blame or not. We can't control what life has planned out no matter how much we would like to. And as I've tried to tell you before, what happen to people are their own destinies. So just stop blaming yourself for everything that goes wrong."  
  
Somehow her words finally hit him effectively. He stood there in complete shock, his mind slowly taking everything in and thinking it over. She was right, she was always right about him and he had been too stubborn to even listen to her. His breaths came out raggedly as he thought about his next move. He loved her, she loved him, something that had always plagued his mind and he actually achieved his most desired dream. 'Will I be able to keep her though?' He asked himself.  
  
"But I want to tell you."  
  
"So, tell me."  
  
"I.not here. I'll take you where I know no one else can hear or see. Will you come with me?" He requested as he held out his gloved hand. She gave and awkward giggle as she pointed to her hospital gown.  
  
"Ahh.sorry but I need something to wear first. I don't think a hospital gown would be a good choice for a nice swing about the city at this time of night." She grinned.  
  
"Oops.had forgotten about that. I'll hop outside real quick while you change, then you can let me know when you're ready. Ok?" He offered as he crawled across the walls over towards the sill. As he moved outside and slid the sill down Mary Jane climbed out of bed wondering what he wanted to tell her. Would he finally tell her who he really was?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Quentin Beck scrunched up his nose in disgust as the heavy smell of sweat infiltrated his nose. He looked around himself in the thin hallway with the gray cement walls and barred doors. He walked behind a tall thin officer, another one behind him with a nightstick making sure that he didn't try to escape. How could he? His hands were handcuffed and he was in a gray jumper suit with all his tricks taken away. He felt humiliated that a man like he would be shoved away into a pitiful jail like this. They stopped in front of a specific cell and unlocked the barred door.  
  
"There you go, Beck. This will be your pleasant home for the next.what was it Rob? 40 years?" The thin officer chuckled.  
  
"I wouldn't be surprised if they stuck him here for life. After all the people he tried to kill. We're lucky that we had Spider-man on our side to catch this ass." The second cop said glaring at Beck. Quentin Beck clenched his fists in anger, white tightening over his skin. He tightened his lips into a scowl as his hatred washed over him again.  
  
"Just get this over with, pig!" Quentin hissed whirling on the second cop. The man stumbled back, and then raising the nightstick he swung it down on Quentin's left shoulder. Beck fell onto one knee with a painful yelp. The first cop unlocked his cuffs and shoved him inside of the jail cell, locking the door behind him. Beck grunted as he fell onto his hands and knees choking on the dust that stirred out. He got to his feet cursing the cops' existence as they walked away laughing. He turned around staring at the twin bunk cots on each side of the cell. One prisoner was already asleep on the top of the right one lying in plain vision under the sun. On the other side the other cot was in the shadows where he felt another person's presence which caused the tiny hairs on the back of his neck to stand up.  
  
"Hello, Beck." He heard a voice behind him on the other side of the jail cell. Beck turned around to find himself looking face to face with Harry Osborn, his so-called partner.  
  
"You! You were supposed to bail me out at the trial!" Beck yelled as he charged at the bars. Harry stepped back with a cool expression.  
  
"I knew you were using me so I repaid he favor. Why should I dirty my name to help you out? After all you were the one who failed to kill Spider-man, you almost killed the woman I love and you were going to give my name to the cops anyways. So, I hope you rot in here Beck. You disgust me." He said furrowing his brows darkly. At that moment the un- experienced kid that Quentin had met seemed more dangerous than he had before. Beck felt the words evaporate in his throat as Harry straightened his suit and walked away.  
  
"Haha, so you were the one who tried to take on the wall-crawler. Huh?" A raspy voice said from the shadows with crisp laughter.  
  
"Who the hell are you? Show yourself!" Beck yelled as he clenched his fists, ready to get into a fight.  
  
"I ain't ready to show myself just yet. All ya need to know is that I go by 'Shultz' right now. Y'know you probably could have done so much better against him if you didn't have that kid hanging onto your cape the whole way." The man said, smoke emerging from the shadows, most likely from a cigarette.  
  
"I needed the money. The kid had enough to supply my whole bankroll," Beck defended himself, scrunching his nose in disgust as the smoke came past his face heating up his skin. "What are you in here for? For how long?"  
  
"I'm s'posed to be in here for arson but that ain't what I got in trouble for. I was a sort of scientist, created a lot of gadgets for the government. They didn't pay me what they owed me so I took them and ran. I soon found myself caught and put in here. I'm supposed to be here for life as far as I know but we all know how the Penitentiary system works here. I'll be out sooner than I know it." He laughed. "Why did you kidnap that red girl anyways?" Shultz said gruffly.  
  
Beck frowned at being asked this. "Not that I see it's any of your business but it was something relating to my past." He said not really wanting to explain further than that.  
  
"If you want to work together someday then you need to be more straight forward than that. Explain the whole story if you gotta."  
  
Beck leaned against the cot and ran a shaky hand through his blonde hair. It was so long ago it seemed, even though it wasn't, and it hurt to remember. "I used to be a special effects man, I worked on sets of movies. My last one was the one they were filming on the Queensboro Bridge some time ago, the one starring Miranda Wilson." He began in a low voice.  
  
"Ah yeah, that female action star that disappeared awhile ago. Go on."  
  
"Miranda and I.behind their backs we were together. We had one of those "flings" going on, I wasn't allowed to tell anyone. They all blame me.for what happened to her on the bridge, the explosion and how her car went off the side of the bridge. The truth is I'd never do anything to hurt Miranda, but the director and those phony Hollywood producers on the other hand should have died instead of her. With that, I, of course was caught by Spider-man and sent to jail. Why did I kidnap that young girl? She was an actress, looked and acted a lot like Miranda. She reminded me of her. At first I felt like I had taken her to replace Miranda and keep her for my own but when I figured out how many were attached to her and loved her I had gotten an idea. They should all suffer! Like I did when I lost Miranda. I wanted them to feel dead inside like I did, I didn't care who the hell I was hurting; I sure as hell didn't care about that red haired girl either. What was even better was that Spider-man seemed to have a soft spot for this girl as well, so why couldn't I use this to my own advantage. They all deserved what had been coming to them and I was just the person to do it. In the end I wouldn't have helped her no matter what promises I made. In the end if that kid hadn't backstabbed me I would have backstabbed him first. All I can say though is that it's not over. No one stabs Mysterio in the back and assume it's over." Beck growled, his blue eyes trained over on the figure in the dark that called himself "Shultz", the man hadn't said a word since he spoke about his past. Why did he trust this man enough to tell him about this?  
  
"Hmm.that's good. I needed to finally talk to someone that actually would do things instead of being all talk. Looks like you and I will get along just fine. Perhaps I'll let you in on the big scheme that'll be going on here soon. You can finally repay all that wronged you with my help." He dropped his cigarette onto the ground and used a black boot to smash it into the hard floor.  
  
"And how in the hell are we going to get out of here. All of my devices were taken away from me." Beck demanded angrily.  
  
"They weren't able to take everything away from me. I had one thing hidden and then delivered in disguise of something very innocent." He turned around in the shadows and bent down onto one knee, digging underneath the cot on the other side. Within moments he stood back up with something in his hands. Beck heard a soft metal clinking sound along with a click. Shultz stuck out his wrists into the light; they were covered by two thick metal gauntlets, a quick charge emanated from them in a soft sizzle.  
  
Beck immediately jumped back as an electric volt shot into the cots beside him with a loud ping. "Who the hell are you really?!" Beck yelled in panic as he backed up into the bars. He was answered by a deep, raspy laugh that sounded demented. "Well, well, well. Meet your new partner, The Shocker!"  
  
* * * *  
  
Gently Spider-man landed on top of the concrete statue that laid out from one of the buildings above the jeweled city. He had brought her to the place to go cry after his Uncle Ben had been murdered and he found the hijacker that he had let go in the wrestling arena due to a petty grudge against the owner. This was a sacred, personal place for him but Mary Jane would be the only person he would want with him here. He removed the last of the webbing from his wrist and gently let go of Mary Jane to let her get hear bearings at such a height. She stepped out near the edge and glanced out at the city beneath her.  
  
"Oh, it's so beautiful." She spoke softly in awe of the sight before her. She glanced back over her shoulder. "Thank you for taking me here, this seems like this would be an important place for you to share this with me." She glanced back out and stepped forward again, almost losing her balance. As if in reflex he was right there behind her. An arm wrapped around her waist to keep her from falling and holding her back onto the statuette. It felt good to be this close to her, to feel her near him, even if it would to be held by one arm. As if reading his mind she spun around and nestled into both his arms against his chest, the events of the past few weeks breaking her down and making her shiver. He shut his eyes as he held her close. 'Just let it out, Mary Jane. That's the best thing for you right now. No party-girl personality, not in front of me.' He thought as he rubbed her back gently. She pulled away for a minute looking embarrassed. "Sorry about that, everything just kind of hit me at once and it was hard to deal." He nodded in agreement to her reassuring that everything was okay. "What was it that you wanted to tell me?" She asked, changing the subject.  
  
Putting real thought into it, Peter lifted his chin looking up into the sky. 'How shall I start this?' He wondered. 'Am I doing the right thing?' "Mary Jane.words can't.really be said in this situation. All I can do is show you. But I need you to close her eyes first, please." He said, placing a finger underneath her chin. She nodded in response and slowly lowered the lids of her eyes. Once he was sure she wasn't peeking he grabbed the bottom folds of his mask and began to lift up. Slowly he removed his mask, feeling the icy cold wind against his face. It ruffled his brown locks of hair and with a deep exhale he told her to go ahead and look. Her bluish-green orbs were once again revealed as she looked upon his face. Her first reaction was of shock, widened eyes, raised brows, and a mouth gaped open. But then after a few moments the gaped mouth curved upward in a pleased smile, no not pleased, overjoyed smile. She gave a shriek and leapt into his arms hugging him tightly. Her mouth closed about his neck delivering several quick kisses showing her happiness. After her excitement calmed down she looked up at him with tearful eyes.  
  
"I had wondered. I had hoped. Could Peter Parker be Spider-man? It seemed impossible at first but a part of me always seemed to know that it was you. My heart could never truly love more than one man, it was impossible." She spoke quickly, her fingers curling his brown hair about them. "This is why.you were afraid to get close to me?" She asked as a pout came to her ruby lips. Peter's heart began to beat fast as his eyes focused on her full red lips, he hungered to lower his own lips on her own and devour them in deep kisses. On impulse he bent his head down and covered her mouth with his, kissing deeply. His hands wrapped around her waist as he pulled her against him. After a few moments he pulled away, his head swimming in a joyous ecstasy as he licked his lips. It was the best kiss he had ever shared with her, even better than the passionate kiss they had shared in the rain that one night. 'Oh man, she tastes good.' He thought with a dopey grin.  
  
"I would do anything to keep you safe, Mary Jane. I would gladly die for you. I love you so much. I would gladly sacrifice my own happiness to keep you safe; I would die if anything happened to you. I have almost lost you so many times." As he said that he loved her Mary Jane's eyes closed in a look of relief and released weight of her shoulders.  
  
"You don't know how much I have wanted to hear you say that since the cemetery. My heart was just aching since you told me that day that you couldn't be more than just my friend. Peter, don't waste your happiness. We can be happy together if you will risk it. Anything can happen at anytime, you just can't prevent it like I told you. With you distancing yourself it harms both of us. Please don't leave me this time." Her voice ended in a whimper as she hugged him near.  
  
"I.I promise that I'll do everything within my power to keep you safe from now on. I won't leave you." He whispered into her ear as he lowered his face near her neck.  
  
"Where do we go from here, Peter?" She asked in curiosity. He smiled and took both of her hands in his as he looked down at her with cherish in his eyes.  
  
"Beginning of any new relationship will do, don't you think? All I know is that I'm your spider and you are my angel."  
  
* * * *  
  
"I've got it! I've got them!" Marc Shino ran down the hallways of the studio jumping over the smart carts littering his way. He reached the meeting room and slapped down a manila envelope onto the table. Snithe looked up from the table in annoyance of the director that busted into his room.  
  
"You've got what, Shino." He growled as he sat down a folder, the rest of his employees glancing at Shino with little care.  
  
"The selection of actresses that have been interviewed and had a background check to take Miranda Wilson's part of the upcoming movie that we plan to shoot a year from now." Shino said while flashing a bright smile. Snithe snorted and opened his large palm. Shino slid the envelope over to him. Opening the envelope he removed five pictures from inside with small photocopied resumes. "There's Lilly Marstoue, Mary Jane Watson, Bonnie Jackson, Amelia Johnson, and Eric Wilson. All five are very qualified for the part and three of them have looks that resemble the late Miss Wilson." Shino said with all respect trying to contain his excitement.  
  
"That bird looks most like Wilson," He said tossing a photograph of Mary Jane at Shino. "However, bring them all back for screen-testing. She could be a complete failure in front of the camera and we'll have to go for a second choice." He said half-assed. Shino nodded with a grin and left the meeting room.  
  
"Hey Snithe, are you really going to fund this project?" One of the older men smoking a thick cigar asked. Snithe looked up and smiled evilly as he litted up his own cigar and placed it against his chapped lips.  
  
"They have a certain amount of time to be worth my effort, and if I'm not impressed then I'll pull my funding and sue the hell out of Mr. Marc Shino." He laughed.  
  
* * * * "Aunt Anna! Guess what?! I got a callback for a movie!"  
  
* * * * ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
THE END  
  
* DominoDS: * So what do you think? I spent a lot of time on this very last chapter and was fairly pleased with how it turned out. I finished it. OMG I never thought I would actually bring myself to accomplish it. So what do you think? Do you like it? Did I do ok? 


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